SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Finland extends Russia border closure indefinitely
Helsinki, April 16 (AFP) Apr 16, 2025
Finland said Wednesday that its eastern border with Russia, which it closed in December 2023, will remain closed indefinitely.

The Nordic country shut its 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia after the arrival of around 1,000 migrants without visas.

Helsinki claimed the surge of migrants was orchestrated by Russia, a charge the Kremlin has denied.

"Based on information available to the Finnish authorities, the risk that instrumentalised migration will resume and expand as seen previously remains likely," the government said in a statement.

"If the phenomenon were to continue, it would pose a serious threat to Finland's national security and public order," it said.

Applications for international protection have been directed to the country's other border crossing points, it said.

In April 2024, the Finnish government decided to close the eastern border "until further notice," a decision it now has renewed.

"The government's decision on the closure of the border has been in force under the same conditions for about a year. This is why it was reasonable to reassess the content of the decision and its preconditions," the government said.

In March, the government also proposed an extension of a temporary one-year law that allows border guards to turn away asylum seekers under certain circumstances.

Dubbed a "pushback border law" in Finnish media, the law that entered into force last July can be applied for one month at a time in limited areas only if Finland's sovereignty and national security are deemed to be threatened.

Experts have said the law contravenes Finland's international human rights commitments and its constitution, which the government has acknowledged.

The government said both the decision to keep the border closed and the temporary border security act "have achieved their intended effect, and instrumentalised migration, which began in November 2023, has ceased for now".


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
NASA raises chance for asteroid to hit moon
BlackSky plans new satellite network for large-scale AI-driven Earth observation
Fish biofluorescence evolved independently over 100 times in evolutionary history

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Europe's lithium quest hampered by China and lack of cash
ArcelorMittal stops 'green' steel projects in Germany
Thailand credits prey releases for 'extraordinary' tiger recovery

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Trump 'Golden Dome' plan tricky and expensive: experts
France finds cash for 'strategic asset' satellite firm Eutelsat
British FM says 'window now exists' for diplomacy with Iran

24/7 News Coverage
How did life survive 'Snowball Earth'? In ponds, study suggests
Arctic warming spurs growth of carbon-soaking peatlands
Climate change could double summer rainfall in the Alps: study



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.