Finnish Interior Minister Marie Rantanen announced the extension of restrictions on the country's eastern border — checkpoints will remain closed for another month, until February 11. Rantanen’s words are quoted by the Finnish publication Yle.
Rantanen explained the decision by saying that there have been no changes on Russia’s part, which is why the “threat of hybrid influence” remains, journalists report. “National security remains a critical issue for Finland,” the foreign minister added.
Checkpoints on the Russian border have been closed since November 18 due to a large influx of asylum seekers. At midnight on December 14, two of them — Vaalimaa and Niirala — started working again.
In groups and chats dedicated to trips to Finland, photos and videos of bicycles on which potential asylum seekers usually travel began to appear. On the same day, December 14, Finland closed the checkpoints again.
“To the checkpoint for a good price and a bike for 30– 80 thousand.» What is happening on the Russian-Finnish border near Kostomuksha