Fewer asylum seekers arrive from Russia after eastern border closure

Fewer number of asylum seekers entered into Finland from Russia after closure of the four border crossing points early Saturday night, said Finnish Border Guard on Saturday afternoon.

Finland closed border crossing points at Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala of eastern border at midnight for the next three months.

After closure of the four crossing points at eastern border, now border crossing points with Russia remain open at Vartius, Kuusamo, Salla and Raja-Jooseppi.

“Today was quieter than yesterday. 67 asylum seekers in Kainuu Border Guard District and 2 in Southeast Finland. We are staying vigilant. Big changes don’t always happen quickly at our long (1340 km) border with Russia,” Matti Pitkäniitty, Head of International Affairs Unit of Finnish Border Guard wrote in a post in social media platform X.

Numbers in asylum seekers arrived at Southeast Finland border was 96 persons on Friday.

Meanwhile, many Finns and Russians crossed the border legally on the last day when border was open as people needed to be on the right side when border checks closed.

“In North Karelia yesterday (Friday) there was 1333 border crossings, compared to 823 day before,” Pitkäniitty wrote in another post in X on Saturday.

The government on Thursday decided to close part of Finland's eastern border with Russia.

The government on Wednesday at a meeting decided that measures to ensure border security following the rapid increase in illegal entry at the eastern border will be taken on Thursday.

Earlier on Tuesday the Ministry of the Interior said, the government may decide to restrict cross-border traffic or to close border crossing points at eastern border with Russia against the backdrop of the influx of increasing number of asylum seekers.