Migrant flow from Russia moves north

According to the Finnish Border Guard, a total of 18 people on Thursday the 16th of November made it by bicycle to the Vartius border crossing point.

None of them had valid visas and all applied for asylum at arrival. Their countries of origin are Syria, Somalia and Yemen, the Border Guard service informs.

The border-crossers are the first to apply for asylum in this region of Finland in 2023.

The Vartius crossing point is located north of the four points that will be closed on Saturday.

Finnish authorities are confident that the migrant flow from Russia is a deliberate provocation staged by Russian security services. 

Human traffickers this week told Finnish broadcaster Yle that they have made deals with Russia’s FSB Russian Border Guard Service to help migrants without visas make it to Finland.

Finland is fully supported by European allies.

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“Russia’s instrumentalisation of migrants is shameful,” President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says in a post on X. “I fully support the measures taken by Finland. And I thank the Finnish Border Guards for protecting our European borders,” she adds.

I had a call with PM @PetteriOrpo who informed me about the situation at the border with Russia.

Russia’s instrumentalisation of migrants is shameful.

I fully support the measures taken by Finland.

And I thank the Finnish Border Guards for protecting our European borders.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 16, 2023

Finland is ready to take additional measures if the migrant flow continues.

In an interview with Yle, Finance Minister Riikka Purra underlines that the remaining five border-crossing points to Russia ultimately could face closure.

“We are ready for the next step, which would mean the closure of the whole eastern border and the halt in reception of asylum applications on the eastern borders,” she says, Yle in Russian reports.

Also in Norway, the authorities closely monitor the situation and the country’s Justice Ministry has made clear that the border-crossing point of Storskog could close on short notice in case the situation deteriorates. In late 2015, more than 5,000 migrants made it to Storskog and created a major stir in the Norwegian border area.