Finland opened its border with Russia

Finland has opened its border with Russia. According to the Finnish publication Yle, the Vaalimaa and Niirala checkpoints have resumed work. According to the publication, the decision to open border crossings will be valid until January 14. At the same time, the Finnish authorities warned that if the influx of asylum seekers arriving from Russia continues, the checkpoints will be closed again.

According to the border service, since midnight, 250 people have entered Russia through the Vaalimaa checkpoint, and about 100 have entered Finland. Most of the people who crossed the border had dual citizenship or a residence permit; at the moment, none of those who arrived in Finland have requested asylum.

the resumption of bus services between Russia and Finland announced The day before , two major European carriers Lux Express and Ecolines . The first flights from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and back were scheduled to depart late in the evening on December 13th. Bus service between the two countries ceased in mid-November when Finland began closing border crossings on its border with Russia.

On November 18, Finland closed the four largest out of eight existing checkpoints on the border with Russia. The next day, the fifth border crossing temporarily ceased operation. On November 22, the country's authorities announced that only one checkpoint would operate on the border with Russia, but it also closed on November 30. This decision in Finland was explained by the influx of illegal migrants and asylum seekers who arrive from Russia.

After the Finnish authorities closed most of the checkpoints in the Murmansk region bordering Finland, they introduced a high alert regime, expecting an increase in the flow of migrants trying to get from Russia to Finland. And in the Karelian city of Kostomuksha, were organized . temporary accommodation centers for migrants

The Kremlin called Finland’s actions a manifestation of a “Russophobic position.” “It’s unlikely that we are somehow able to influence [the situation], because there is no dialogue and [this happened] through no fault of ours. We were not the initiators of curtailing the dialogue. This causes nothing but deep regret. We have had long-standing and very good relations with Finland,” said press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.

As reported the BBC Russian Service , citing data from Russian courts and human rights activists, after Finland began to close the border, Russian authorities began arresting migrants from third countries with expired visas. After this, those arrested, threatening them with deportation to their homeland, are forced to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense to be sent to war in Ukraine.

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