The Finnish government has decided that the land border crossing points between Finland and Russia will remain closed until April 14, 2024 due to Russia's "hybrid operation" on migrants. This was stated by the Yle publication.


"The information received confirms the assessment that Russia is continuing its hybrid operation. There is reason to believe that this is a long-term situation. There are at least hundreds, and possibly thousands of migrants near the Russian border waiting to continue their journey to Finland," said Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen.


The decision extends the period of complete closure of the country's eastern border by two months. The Ministry of Internal Affairs explained that in the current situation, further closure of the border is necessary and proportional.


The ministry believes that there is a serious threat to national security and public order posed by the phenomenon of instrumentalized immigration.


Given the information from various officials, migrants are likely to continue to arrive from the Russian Federation if crossing points are opened on the eastern border, the Interior Ministry noted.


According to the Interior Ministry, if there were no restrictions, the number of migrants arriving through the eastern border would range from 10 to 20 thousand asylum seekers per year.


Helsinki emphasized that the Russian side still responds to the border services' proposals for negotiations and proposals to regulate the situation in a limited way.