Official: Finland closes all checkpoints on the border with Russia, except one

The Finnish authorities have decided to close all checkpoints on the border with Russia, with the exception of the northernmost one – “Raya-Jooseppi” – “Lotta”, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on the evening of November 22.

The remaining checkpoints will be closed on the night of November 24-25. The closure decision will remain in effect until December 23, 2023. This means that the Finnish border from Russia can only be crossed through the Raja-Jooseppi checkpoint.

“Our task is to ensure the safety of Finns,” Orpo said at a press conference.

According to the Prime Minister, centralizing border crossings at one border station was the most radical measure that the government could implement in this situation. But, he said, there are still tools for new measures if the situation requires it. If necessary, the entire eastern border can be closed.

“We have to regulate the number of people we can accept,” Orpo explained.

According to a government press release, requests for international protection at the land border between Finland and Russia will be concentrated at the last remaining border crossing.

“An application for international protection cannot be submitted at the land border between Finland and Russia at other border crossing points,” the message says.

Interior Minister Marie Rantanen noted that the measures taken are “very bold and exceptional.” But, according to Rantanen, it is possible that the situation with refugees will continue to worsen.

Finnish media describe Raja-Jooseppi as a quiet border crossing, with at best only a few dozen people passing through each week. Deputy Commander of the Lapland Border Guard Ville Ahtiainen noted that it is not yet equipped enough to become the only border crossing point on the eastern border.

The border crossing “Raya-Jooseppi” – “Lotta” is the northernmost point on the border with Russia, it is located approximately 240 kilometers and a four-hour drive from Murmansk. A border post there was opened in 1967. For the first two years, only citizens of Finland and the Soviet Union were allowed to cross the border through it. The border was opened to citizens of other countries in 1969. It became an international border checkpoint in 1989.

On the night of November 18, the Finnish authorities already closed the closest and most popular crossings to St. Petersburg: Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Niirala and Imatra due to the influx of refugees on bicycles. Then the flow of migrants poured into the remaining southernmost border crossings – mainly Vartius and Salla. It was much less common to get to Kuusamo and Raia-Jooseppi.