Moscow, November 22 – Finland will close all border crossings with Russia, except for the northernmost one, according to the largest Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat. “The government proposes to close all border crossings on the eastern border, except for ‘Raja-Joseppi’. Located in the municipality of Inari, ‘Raja-Joseppi’ is the northernmost point of crossing the Finnish border,” the publication states. As clarified by the Finnish government, the crossings in Kuusamo, Salla, and Vartius will cease to allow the passage of people from November 24 at 00:00. “All border crossings on the eastern border will be centralized at the Raja-Joseppi border crossing. The decision is valid until December 23, 2023,” according to the statement. It is noted that this crossing will become the only point on the land border where applications for asylum will be accepted. Since November 18, Finnish authorities have already closed four border crossings for four months. The reason cited is the uncontrolled flow of refugees from Somalia, Yemen, Syria, and other countries, who arrive from Russia and request asylum at the border. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has protested against this decision. As noted by the ministry, Helsinki made this decision hastily, without consulting Moscow, and it violates the rights and interests of tens of thousands of Russians and Finns. The statements about the escalation of the situation with migrants and the alleged deliberate actions of Moscow to organize refugee flows were called a provocation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the intention to further exacerbate relations between the countries. According to the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, the Russophobic position that the leaders of the neighboring country have now adopted is deeply regrettable. As for the accusations against Russian border guards, Peskov emphasized that they follow all instructions, and the border crossings are used by those who have the legal right to do so.
