Blackmail of migrants: in Finland, border crossings with Russia remain closed

Faced for weeks with “blackmail from migrants” from Russia, Finland has decided to extend the closure of its borders for two more months. A protective measure decided by the government but criticized by NGOs. Because these border crossing closures do not prevent human trafficking even in the depths of winter.

Nabil is one of many candidates for exile, helped by the Russian authorities. Coming to Morocco via the Emirates and Moscow, the young man recounts his long journey to the Finnish border. “(From Moscow) lI took a train, I went to Saint Petersburg. I went to a hostel there. I waited maybe 2 days, 3 days. Then I went to another city, to Vyborg. Then I bought a bike and came to Finland. The (Russian) police and army helped us. “It’s a good thing for us because it’s so easy to come here.”

Finland claims that some 500 illegal migrants managed to cross its eastern border last November. A sharp increase from previous monthly averages of around 30 people.

The Finnish government quickly described these arrivals as _”_serious threat to national security and public order“. Helsinki considers this influx of migrants as retaliation by Russia after Finland’s accession to NATO.

Since then, the country has been trying to protect itself, as Marek Saareks, deputy head of the Finnish border guard, explains: “We know that there are thousands of people in the St. Petersburg region who could come to Finland by this route. We know that we will have to open the borders, or at least some of them, at some point , because this situation cannot last forever. But at the same time we are developing changes in our legislation that can allow us to better prepare for this situation when it happens again.”

The closure of the borders does not please Russian speakers living in Finland either. An association defending the interests of this minority has also taken legal action against the Finnish government.