Finland closes 5th border crossing with Russia, Moscow speaks out

Finnish border guards have suspended operations at the Vartius border crossing with Russia since the evening of November 18 due to overload.

Nuijamaa border checkpoint in Finland. (Source: eer)

On its social media account, the border guard responsible for the Kainuu region of Finland announced: "The Vartius checkpoint is overloaded. We currently do not recommend using this checkpoint to cross the border."

According to Yle radio and television channel, the Vartius border crossing was suspended during the day and was closed by 6:19 p.m. local time. Meanwhile, Iltalehti newspaper reported that the crossing would resume operations on the morning of November 19.

Previously, Finland announced the closure of four border gates on its eastern border with Russia from the night of August 17.

On November 16, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced that the country has decided to close four border crossings on its eastern border with Russia from the evening of November 17. Prime Minister Orpo called this a response to the wave of “third country nationals” flooding across Finland’s eastern border.

According to Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, the border crossings at Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala will be closed until February 18, 2024.

Meanwhile, the Finnish border guard announced that the northern border crossings of Vartius, Salla, Kuusamo and Raja-Jooseppi continue to operate.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Finland's decision to close its border crossings with Russia would create new dividing lines in Europe, and warned that Moscow would react to the move.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/phan-lan-dong-cua-khau-bien-gioi-thu-5-voi-nga-moscow-len-tieng-250628.html