New NATO member Finland has closed its last remaining border crossing with Russia over concern that Moscow was helping third-country migrants to reach the border in an act labeled by Helsinki as “hybrid warfare.”
The border action may soon be matched by longstanding alliance member Estonia.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Nov. 29 that Moscow had been officially notified “of the Finnish authorities’ decision to close Raja-Jooseppi, the northernmost [Russia–Finland] border crossing.”
The move, she added, effectively means that “all crossings along the Russia-Finland border will be closed.”
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced the decision at a Nov. 28 news conference.
“The [Finnish] government has decided to close all crossing points along the entire eastern border [with Russia],” he said.
“It’s clear these people [migrants] are being escorted or transported to the border by [Russian] border guards,” Mr. Orpo had asserted in mid-November. “The message from us in the government is clear: we want to secure the safety of our eastern border.”
Finland, which joined the Western NATO alliance earlier this year, shares a roughly 830-mile border with Russia. Running north to south, the border also represents the northeastern frontier of the 27-member European Union, which Finland joined in 1995.
On Nov. 18, Finland unilaterally closed the four southernmost crossings along its border with Russia. Days later, it closed three more, leaving only the Raja-Jooseppi crossing open.
The closures will remain in effect at least until Dec. 14, after which one of the crossings may be reopened, Finnish authorities said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said she “fully supports” the measures taken by Finland. In a Nov. 16 social media post, she expressed her thanks to Finnish authorities for “protecting our European borders.”
‘Hybrid Warfare’
In previous statements, Mr. Orpo has accused Moscow of weaponizing migrant inflows as part of a campaign of “hybrid warfare.”“It’s not a question of asylum-seekers,” he told reporters last week. “It’s a question of hybrid attack and national security.”
Moscow rejects Western claims that Russian border authorities are actively facilitating the flow of third-country migrants into Finland.
“The crossings are used by those who have a legal right to cross the border,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Nov. 20. “Our border guards follow the relevant protocols.”
Ms. Zakharova has warned that the border closures by Finland would only serve to create “new lines of division” across Europe.
“A team of military advisers will provide on-site knowledge on border security [and] also in operational terms,” Mr. Siewiera said in a social media post.
Responding the same day, Mr. Peskov warned that any decision by Finland to allow troop “concentrations” on its border with Russia would be perceived as a “threat” by Moscow.
“The Finns must be fully aware that an increase in troop concentrations on our borders would pose a threat to us,” he asserted.
“At least that’s how we’ll see it,” the Kremlin spokesman added.
Finland became NATO’s 31st member in April, ending a decades-long policy of neutrality.
Last month, Finland signed a defense pact with the United States that allows the latter to station troops and military equipment in the Nordic country.
Estonia Mulls Border Closure
Estonia’s foreign minister recently said that his country also was prepared to close its border with Russia in the face of alleged “hybrid attacks” by the latter.“What is happening on Finland’s border is nothing less than a blatant hybrid attack ... aimed at sowing anxiety and instability,” Margus Tsahkna said at a Nov. 29 meeting in Brussels of Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers.
“It is yet more proof that Russia is not fighting only in Ukraine; instead, it poses a threat to other countries with its hybrid attacks.”
According to his ministry’s website, foreign ministers who attended the meeting “expressed solidarity with Finland and said they were prepared to help it if necessary.”
Russia shares a 294-mile border with Estonia, which joined NATO in 2004 along with six other East European countries.
