Finland announced on Thursday it would close its eastern border with Russia for another month amid ongoing conflict over increased migration in the region.
Relations between Finland and Russia, which share an 830-mile border, deteriorated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Late last year, Finland closed all land routes with Russia, accusing the Russian government of encouraging a potentially destabilizing influx of migrants, mainly from Africa and the Middle East.
The Finnish government has hinted at retaliation for Russia’s move to join NATO and support for Ukraine last year. Russian authorities have called the charges “baseless.”
Finland’s government partially reopened its borders in December, but said it soon closed them again and the influx of migrants resumed.
On Thursday, the Finnish government said in a statement that although the influx of migrants had stopped, there was still a risk that they would resume, posing a threat to Finland’s national security.
“Russia’s hybrid influence operations are very likely to resume and expand,” Finland’s Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said at a press conference on Thursday.
He said migrants were waiting near the Russian border in preparation for reopening, and that the border would remain closed until February 11.
“National security is an important issue for Finland,” Rantanen said. “We need to keep borders closed.”
The move to close the border comes after around 900 migrants crossed the Finnish-Russian border to seek asylum in November, a sharp increase compared to the previous month. Finnish authorities claim that the much higher number of migrants seeking asylum will strain immigration services and increase the risk of “radicalized” people entering the country.
Rantanen acknowledged that the situation is “very difficult” for dual nationals living in Finland and Russians who need to cross the border. She added that the closure is temporary and not a permanent solution.
Human rights experts called on Finland to provide further evidence that the closure was necessary, pointing to its international legal obligation to welcome asylum seekers.
Finland insists it can continue to accept asylum applications at other points of entry, such as Helsinki Airport. But Oxford University human rights scholar Martin Scheinin said there was no “practical and effective way” to achieve that.
“Finland is blocking any real possibility of approaching the authorities at the border,” he said.