Migrant Trouble at EU Borders Blamed on Russia

Russia has been accused of weaponizing asylum seekers by allowing them to go to its border crossings with its European neighbors.

Footage on social media has gone viral showing Finnish border guards dealing with around 30 illegal immigrants trying to enter from Russia on Friday at Finland’s Niirala border crossing. “Russia uses weaponized migration as a tool of hybrid warfare,” posted the news outlet Visegrad, next to the video which, as of Saturday, has received more than 900,000 views. Newsweek has as yet not been able to verify the claims.

Asylum seekers from Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and Syria are among those who have arrived each day this week at Russian border crossings with Finland. The Finnish have said this is a deliberate move to avenge Helsinki’s defense cooperation with the U.S, a charge denied by Moscow. Newsweek has contacted the foreign ministries of Russia, Finland and Estonia for comment. After decades of non-alignment with NATO, Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, acceded to the alliance this year, prompting anger from Moscow.

Finland said that it would close four of the nine crossing points on its southern border with Russia on Saturday. These are normally the busiest points of travel between the two countries. Asylum seekers arriving via Russia will have to hand in their applications only at two northern border crossings, the government said, according to Reuters.

“Russia’s instrumentalization of migrants is shameful,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media, in support of Finland’s move.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Norway, a non-EU country that also shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, is set to close its border at short notice if necessary, Norwegian Justice Minister Emilie Mehl said.

It comes after Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets also accused Russia of deliberately allowing asylum seekers without visas or residence permits to travel to a crossing point on its shared border.

“Russia lets them pass without any reason, which means that these persons reach us and we have to deal with their concerns,” Läänemets said, according to news outlet Delfi. He added that Estonia has so far returned every person trying to cross the border without documents or permission.

Images shared on social media showed that how Estonia has brought anti-tank “dragon teeth” barriers typically used on the battlefield, to its border with Russia in Narva, the eastern extreme point of Estonia.

Relations between the former Soviet country Estonia and Russia have worsened over the course of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Tallinn has wholeheartedly backed the Ukrainians. This year, Estonia expelled 21 Russian embassy staffers, and Moscow responded by expelling Estonian ambassador Margus Laidre.