Influx of asylum seekers raises at eastern border

The number of asylum seekers arrived at the border crossing points in Southeastern Finland from Russia has been increased during the recent months, said Finnish Border Guard in a press release on Sunday.

A total of 91 people arrived at the border crossing points without required travel documents since August 2023 and sought asylum in Finland, said the Border Guard, adding that the number is higher than usual.

The people are citizens of third countries and have used Russia for transit and majority of them lacked the visa required for entry.

Previously, Russian authorities have not allowed travel from Russia to Finnish border crossing points, if the passenger has not had the required travel documents.

In recent months, the actions of the Russian authorities have changed, at least on the border with Southeastern Finland. Unlike before, they have allowed travel despite lack of documents.

According to the Finnish Border Guard's assessment, this is a phenomenon of illegal migration. International crime is probably also linked to the phenomenon. The number of illegal border crossings at the land border (areas outside of border crossing points) has not changed.

There have been similar cases on the Eastern border before, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine started. At that time applicants for temporary protection arrived in Finland from Ukraine with incomplete documents.

The Border Guard is monitoring the situation closely together with other security authorities and evaluating the nature and effects of the phenomenon to Finland's public order and security.

Based on this assessment, the authority will take further measures in this regard.