Last week, Finland closed most of its border crossings with Russia, leaving only one in the far north. However, that crossing will now be closed as well, allowing only cargo ships to pass through, according to Reuters.
Container trucks at Finland's Raja-Jooseppi border crossing with Russia on November 26.
"The government has decided today to close all border crossings on the eastern border," Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters.
In November, around 900 asylum seekers from countries including Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen crossed from Russia to Finland, a significant increase from the previous month when fewer than one person crossed each day.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen added that the new decision will be effective from November 29 until December 13. Asylum seekers can still come to Finland by sea or air, Reuters reported, citing the Finnish government .
On November 18, Finland closed several southern border crossings with Russia to prevent illegal border crossings. Finnish officials accused Russia of using migrants to fuel the crisis in Europe and cause instability.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed accusations that her country was weaponizing migration, calling it completely baseless.
Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022, months after Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine. Finland officially became a NATO member in April.
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