Finland to reopen 2 border crossings with Russia

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - Finland will reopen two border crossings with Russia after having closed all checkpoints last month, Helsinki announced on Tuesday.

The Vaalimaa and Niirala crossings, in the country's southeast, will reopen on Thursday.

The remaining six checkpoints on the Finnish-Russian frontier – at 1,340 kilometers (830 miles), Russia’s longest with an EU member, and part of NATO – will remain shut.

Helsinki decided to close the entire border with Russia after many asylum seekers crossed into Finland with insufficient travel documents.

Finnish authorities accused Moscow last month of launching a suspected hybrid attack and of purposefully assisting undocumented migrants to cross into the Nordic country.

At a press conference, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said, “The border is being opened gradually,” warning that the government will close the crossings again if Russia uses what it describes as hybrid influencing tactics.

Interior Minister Mari Rantanen confirmed that for now the checkpoints in question will remain open until Jan. 14, but also warned that Finnish authorities would act quickly if Russia tries to use migrants as a way of pressuring the Finnish government.

The Nordic country has been accused of ignoring international law and of preventing people from seeking asylum by the UN and human rights groups.

Since the closure, Amnesty Finland warned that the decision to close all border crossings with Russia “undermines the rights of asylum seekers and increases the risk of serious human rights violations at the border.”

Since Russia started its war on Ukraine in February 2022, Finland’s relations with Russia have grown more tense, and Helsinki joined NATO this April, seeking to boost its security.

In attacking Ukraine, Russia said it wanted to prevent it the NATO alliance from expanding.