DISINFO: Finland’s sealing of Russia border is illegal and ordered by the US
SUMMARY
The influx of refugees from the Middle East was an official cause for the closure of the Russia-Finland border crossings, but in reality, Finland was seeking a pretext. The closure of crossings is a violation of rules. The Finnish government is acting under Washington’s orders.
RESPONSE
Conspiracy narrative pushed by the pro-Kremlin outlets. Pro-Kremlin outlets developed its own fabrications covering the closures at some of the Finnish border crossing stations.
There has been a sharp uptick in recent days in the numbers of asylum seekers arriving at border posts in southeast Finland.
As it has been numerous times before, the Russian outlets blame the United States, whose orders are obediently followed by other Western countries without their own national interests, Finnish news outlet Verkkouutiset highlights. Portraying other states as puppets for foreign powers follows the strain of well-documented pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative known as 'Lost Sovereignty.'
Russia is using a well-known "hybrid warfare" tactic to push illegal migrants over the Finnish border, sparking concerns the Kremlin might be starting a larger-scale effort to put pressure on the EU's longest border with Russia, and NATO's new eastern flank.
The Finnish Border Guard service says there has been an increase in the number of people crossing from Russia into southeast Finland in recent months without proper documents – most of them lacking visas.
The decision to close some of the borders is not illegal as Finland is a sovereign country which decides its own foreign policy. As further explained by the Finnish Border Guards:
"On 16 November 2023, the Government decided to close the border crossing points in Southeast Finland and North Karelia and to concentrate the seeking of international protection on the eastern border. The decision is in effect to 18 February 2024, and is based on section 16 of the Border Guard Act."
They continued:
"In recent months, the actions of the Russian authorities, at least on the border with south-eastern Finland, have changed in such a way that, unlike before, they have allowed travel despite lack of documents," the Border Guards said.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen accused Russia of deliberately ushering migrants toward the border zone as a type of "hybrid warfare," and said he will inform NATO Secretary General and the EU about the situation.
Finnish authorities have been aware that Russia could send more migrants over its longest land border with the EU as part of a hybrid tactic to try and cause nuisance and create problems for Finland.
In late 2015 and early 2016, almost 1,000 migrants arrived at an Arctic border post between Finland and Russia. Finnish officials believe the arrivals were facilitated by Russian authorities with bus transport and hotel accommodation on their journey north, with people given instructions to claim asylum once they got over the border. Norway faced the similar situation. Some of the migrants had residence permits in Russia.
In 2021, a migration crisis outbroke at Polish-Belarus border, Lithuania-Belarus and Latvia-Belarus borders. Russian pro-Kremlin media outlets falsely accused Poland of carrying out mass execution of migrants.
There is plenty of evidence that the Belarusian authorities have instigated the ongoing migration crisis in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Lukashenka's regime is using migrants from the Middle East as "political and hybrid" tools against Lithuania and the entire EU. Commissioner Ylva Johansson said, inter alia: "The authoritarian regime in Belarus is exploiting human beings for political reasons: this is completely unacceptable." See our review of those 2021-events here and here.
See similar cases on Finland such as Finland organised the migration crisis as a pretext for closing borders after joining NATO. See Finland shuts Russia border crossings as revenge for lost wars and Washington has made Finland Russia's quarrelsome neighbour.