Media: Finland is looking for an opportunity to leave the border with the Russian Federation closed
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The Finnish government intends to keep checkpoints on the border with Russia closed; the country’s authorities are looking for appropriate legal grounds for this step, writes Helsingin Sanomat. The previous ban on cross-border movement, introduced due to the increased flow of illegal migrants, is due to end on January 15.
During the current week, the government is expected to decide whether to keep the eastern border crossings closed or allow one or more of them to open, the newspaper said.
According to sources, authorities are seeking to keep the border closed until the end of the “Russian hybrid operation,” in which Russian customs officers allow people to reach the Finnish border without proper documents.
One option being considered is to temporarily close the border. To support this decision, the government may be relying on intelligence indicating that the opening of checkpoints could lead to an increase in the number of asylum seekers crossing the Finnish border from Russia.
However, as Finnish journalists note, if the government intends to leave the border closed indefinitely, it will have to more carefully justify this decision.
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