Russia warned on November 22 of a humanitarian situation at checkpoints on the border with Finland, where hundreds of migrants are stranded in freezing temperatures.
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| More and more migrants are appearing at the Russian-Finnish border, forcing Helsinki to close four border checkpoints. (Source: The Moscow Times) |
According to Finnish public broadcaster YLE, more than 500 asylum seekers have crossed the border from Russia into Finland since the beginning of November, mainly from Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Helsinki accuses Russia of deliberately pushing this influx of people to Finland in retaliation for the Nordic country joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The situation at the Salla checkpoint on the border with Finland can be described as a humanitarian crisis, said Andrey Chibis, governor of Russia's Murmansk region, which borders Finland. About 300 people from more than 10 countries are currently waiting for days to cross the border.
Chibis criticized Helsinki for refusing to take in migrants, and shared a video on social media showing dozens of cars and trucks sitting idly on a snowy road while a group of people took shelter in tents.
Relations between Helsinki and Moscow have deteriorated sharply since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. In April 2023, Finland abandoned its decades-long policy of non-military alliances and joined NATO, prompting Russia to warn of countermeasures.
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