In the Murmansk Region, a state of heightened alertness was introduced

In the Murmansk region, a state of heightened alertness was introduced, said the governor of the region, Andrey Chibys. He claims that this is due to the expectation of a large number of migrants who want to get to Finland. The day before, Helsinki closed all checkpoints on the border with Russia, except for one – “Raya-Jooseppi” (from the Russian side – “Lotta”). It is located 240 kilometers from Murmansk.

“The number of foreign citizens wishing to enter a NATO country through our territory will probably increase many times over,” Chibys wrote.

According to Chibys, about 400 foreign citizens gathered at the Salla checkpoint in the Murmansk region, of which only 50 were allowed into the territory of Finland. The Finnish side confirmed that 51 people crossed the border on November 22.

The day before, Governor Chibys claimed that there was a queue of 300 migrants at the Salla border crossing, and accused the Finnish authorities of creating an artificial traffic jam. At the same time, the journalists of the Finnish Yle wrote that the border was calm, but there was not a single person at the “Vartius” and “Salla” border crossing points.

Over the past few months, several thousand foreigners who do not have the necessary documents have tried to enter Finland from Russia. These were citizens of Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Turkey. Previously, the Russian authorities did not allow such citizens to cross the border, then, without explaining the reasons, they stopped preventing it. In Helsinki, they believe that the Russian authorities condone the passage of migrants to the border with Finland. The Kremlin denies these charges.

In the evening of November 22, the Finnish authorities announced that they would close all border crossings on the border with Russia, with the exception of one, the most northern – “Raya-Jooseppa”. Checkpoints will be closed overnight from November 24 to November 25 and until at least December 23 this year.

Estonia and Norway also announced the possibility of closing border crossings on the border with Russia.

• After Russia’s large-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine, Finland tightened the conditions for entry into the country for Russians. As a rule, holders of Schengen visas are not allowed to enter Finland, a residence permit in the European Union, a permanent residence permit or EU citizenship is required. In some cases, transit to the airport is possible.

More news from Radio Liberty: