Russian tactics designed to disrupt European nations forced neighboring Finland to fundamentally rethink its border security, culminating in the recent completion of a new border fence along its eastern frontier.
Finland constructed roughly 124 miles of fencing along its border with Russia, a secondary security measure intended to stem the flow of unauthorized Russian migrants, Petri Hakkarainen, political director for the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told Fox News Digital.
„We have in the past witnessed Russia’s attempts … to instrumentalize migrants at the Finnish border,“ Hakkarainen said. „Basically pushing migrants towards our borders, forcing us then to take them on.“
NATO ALLY POLAND WARNS RUSSIA, BELARUS PUSHING ILLEGAL MIGRANTS TOWARD ALLIANCE — AND THE US
A sudden influx forces the Finnish government to process large volumes of asylum claims, which could destabilize society if carried out on a massive scale, he explained.
In response, Finland closed its entire land border with Russia in 2023. Moscow swiftly filed a formal complaint, condemning the closure as „Russophobic.“
The Kremlin expressed „deep regret“ over the move, claiming it replaced decades of „pragmatic, mutually respectful relations“ with an anti-Russian political stance.
Finland shares an 833-mile border with Russia, the longest of any European Union or NATO member state. The completed border fence supplements the border closures.
As Russia remains locked in a war of attrition in Ukraine, Western officials have accused Moscow of launching widespread destabilization campaigns, ranging from disinformation to state-sponsored economic coercion intended to erode public trust across Europe.
FINLAND’S FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS UKRAINE ‘IS NOW HOLDING THE CARDS’ AS RUSSIA SIGNALS TALKS
„We think it’s important to listen to those of us who live next door to Russia,“ Hakkarainen said. „Listen to our analysis of the situation: We consider Russia to be a long-term threat to transatlantic security — not only to Ukraine, not only to Europeans, but to transatlantic security as a whole.“
Finland launched the border fence initiative after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a landmark conflict that prompted the historically neutral Nordic nation to join NATO in April 2023.
Moscow has long viewed NATO’s eastward expansion as a direct security threat, using it to justify reinforcing its Western defenses.
When Finland officially joined the alliance, Helsinki saw an immediate reaction. Over 1,300 migrants without visas arrived at its eastern border.
FINLAND’S PARLIAMENT VOTES TO LIFT DECADES-OLD BAN ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN HISTORIC NATO DEFENSE SHIFT
Finland accused Moscow of weaponizing migration as an act of „hybrid warfare,“ a charge the Kremlin denied.
Closing the border checkpoints has proven „very effective,“ Hakkarainen noted. Beyond physical barriers, Finnish lawmakers passed the Border Security Act.
The temporary law allows border authorities to restrict asylum applications and turn back migrants if a foreign actor attempts to destabilize the country by funneling people across the border.
While the law sparked some initial debate over potential human rights and international law violations, Hakkarainen emphasized that national defense took priority.
„We take these concerns very seriously,“ he said. „But national security and our own sovereignty … weighed more heavily in this conversation, though there is broad majority support for the act.
ITALY-SPAIN BORDER FEUD EXPOSES EUROPE’S DEEPENING IMMIGRATION DIVIDE
„We take our security and preparedness very seriously.
„I would say not despite that, but because of that, we are able to lead very normal lives here — regardless of the neighbor we have.“
IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-09-17 23:47:44
Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
