The zone opposite Russia’s border with Finland is controlled by the border guard service of the country’s security service FSB. Now asylum seekers are let through numerous checkpoints.
Elsa Osipova,
Marko Eklund,
Ilkka Kemppinen
A route ten kilometers long in Russia’s closed and closely guarded border zone. The Finnish border looms just beyond it.
The border zone against Finland from south to north is an area controlled by the border state service belonging to the country’s security service, the FSB.
Even so, asylum seekers have reached Finland from the zone for several days in a row.
This story tells about the numerous checkpoints the Russian authorities are now letting asylum seekers into Finland through.
Asylum seekers have come to Finland via two routes, via Vaalimaa or Nuijamaa.
When the person traveling via the Vaalimaa route meets the first checkpoint in Russia, there are still more than 50 kilometers to the Finnish border. See in the pictures how the checkpoints are located on the route:
Another possible route to Finland goes across the border of Nuijamaa. To get to the Finnish border, you must first pass through the Juustila checkpoint.
The pictures show what other inspections the newcomer faces before entering Finland.
The Border Guard suspects organized crime
Border Guard of Southeast Finland told on Wednesday that at least 46 asylum seekers had arrived at the border crossing points in Southeastern Finland in Vaalimaa and Nuijamaa during the day.
On Tuesday, the border guard announced 55 asylum seekers.
Deputy commander of the Border Guard of Southeast Finland Jukka Lukkarin according to the border guard sees indications of organized crime in the phenomenon.
The Border Guard considers it possible that asylum seekers are probably brought to the border by smugglers.
– We have found out the phenomenon, what it can be caused by and how it can be addressed, Lukkari says.
The problem has become the authorities of the Russian border guard service, who allow people to move in their border area without the required documents. Russia has argued that it cannot prevent the movement of people seeking humanitarian protection.
In 2015–2016, the situation was different. Russia tightened its border controls on its own initiative when thousands of asylum seekers arrived at the EU’s borders from Syria.
Finland has announced that restrictions may be placed on cross-border traffic on the eastern border.
Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen (ps.) was supposed to hold a press conference on a possible decision on Wednesday evening, but the event was cancelled. The reason is that the decision was not finalized today.
Updated on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 6:19 p.m. Postponement of the Minister of the Interior’s press conference.