MOSCOW: The only checkpoint on the Finnish-Russian border operating on Sundays – Vartius – is temporarily closed and traffic is restricted, the Finnish Border Guard said.
Earlier in the day, Finnish Border Guard Captain Jouko Kinnunen said the Finnish army was deployed to assist the border guard at the checkpoints on the border with Russia which remained open. He said the military was building defensive fences at the Vartius checkpoint, which was supposed to remain open until 6 pm (1600 GMT) on Sunday.
“Traffic is impeded at the Vartius border crossing. Transport movement is temporarily restricted,“ the border guard said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
On Thursday, the Finnish Cabinet said it had decided to close four out of eight checkpoints on the border with Russia from Nov 18 to Feb18, 2024 due to the deteriorating situation with migrants.
Helsinki has accused Moscow of directing asylum seekers, mainly from the Middle East, to its border, with the number of asylum requests soaring to 60 a day, compared to a total of 91 arriving from Aug 1 to Nov 12. The Russian embassy in Finland told Sputnik that the Finnish government’s measures were a cause for concern, and Russia would work on retaliatory measures.–Bernama-Sputnik
