The Nordic country closed its 1340-kilometer border with the Russian Federation in December 2023 after more than 1300 illegal migrants arrived.
The situation has since stabilized, noting only isolated cases of illegal border crossing. Nevertheless, land border crossing points along this border remain closed 'until new instructions are received.'
Finland's Minister of the Interior, Mari Rantanen, told AFP: 'Today the situation is calm but tense, and we do not know what tomorrow will bring.' These statements were made in southeastern Finland, near the Nuijamaa border post, whose operations ceased three years ago.
She added that 'everything can change very quickly, so we must be prepared.' The Minister spoke next to a section of the border reinforced with 4.5-meter high barbed wire, which was installed in strategic areas and equipped with cameras.
In 2023, Finland accused the Russian Federation of conducting a 'hybrid war' against it by organizing the arrival of people from third countries at its border; the Kremlin rejected these allegations.
These events occurred months after Finland abandoned decades of military non-alignment and joined NATO in April 2023.
Similar barriers have been erected in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland along their borders with Belarus, as well as in Estonia on the border with the Russian Federation.