DISINFO: Washington has made Finland Russia's quarrelsome neighbour
SUMMARY
Experts named the consequences of completely closing the borders between Finland and Russia. The behaviour of the Finns can be compared to the habits of a quarrelsome neighbour who intended to fight. But as a result, the brawler only fell down the stairs and injured himself. So it is with Helsinki - it will feel itself the damage from its desire to harm Russia.
Finding a rational explanation for Finland's actions is extremely difficult. Although the official authorities claim to be fighting against migrants, this version looks extremely unconvincing. The decision to limit the operation of checkpoints on the border with Russia is caused by Helsinki’s desire to distinguish itself from other Eastern European countries. But there is another version. Washington could have instructed Finland to “reduce all contacts with Russia to a minimum.”
RESPONSE
Conspiracy narrative pushed by the pro-Kremlin media. Pro-Kremlin outlets spread their own fabrications covering the closures at Finnish border stations. As it has been numerous times before, the pro-Kremlin and Russian state outlets blame the United States, whose orders are obediently followed by other Western countries without their own national interests, Finnish news outlet Verkkouutiset highlights. Portraying other states as 'puppets for foreign powers' follows the strain of well-documented pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative known as 'Lost Sovereignty.'
There has been a sharp uptick in recent days in the numbers of irregular asylum seekers arriving at border posts in southeast Finland.
Russia is using a well-known "hybrid warfare" tactic to push migrants over the Finnish border, sparking concerns the Kremlin might be starting a larger-scale effort to put pressure on the EU's longest border with Russia, and NATO's new eastern flank.
The Finnish Border Guard service says there has been an increase in the number of people crossing from Russia into southeast Finland in recent months without proper documents – most of them lacking visas.
"The amount is higher than usual" the Border Guards said in a press release, noting that those who entered into the Nordic nation via this route have applied for asylum. Previously, Russian authorities have not allowed anyone to travel to Finnish border crossing points if they don't have the correct documents or a visa, but that tactic has now changed.
"In recent months, the actions of the Russian authorities, at least on the border with southeastern Finland, have changed in such a way that, unlike before, they have allowed travel despite lack of documents," the Border Guard said.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen accused Russia of deliberately ushering migrants toward the border zone as a type of "hybrid warfare," and said he will inform NATO Secretary General and the EU about the situation.
Finnish authorities have been aware that Russia could send more irregular migrants over its longest land border with the EU as part of a hybrid tactic to try to put pressure and sow problems for Finland.
In late 2015 and early 2016, almost 1,000 migrants arrived at an Arctic border post between Finland and Russia. Finnish officials believe the arrivals were facilitated by Russian authorities with bus transport and hotel accommodation on their journey north, with people given instructions to claim asylum once they got over the border. Norway faced the similar situation. Some of the migrants had residence permits in Russia.
In 2021, a migration crisis outbroke at Polish-Belarus border, Lithuania-Belarus and Latvia-Belarus borders. Russian pro-Kremlin media outlets falsely accused Poland of carrying out mass execution of migrants. Irregular migrants from countries like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan were given promises of asylum in the EU by Belarus state companies and security services and pushed to the border area. See our review of events here and here.
There is plenty of further evidence that the Belarusian authorities have instigated the ongoing migration crisis in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Lukashenka's regime is using migrants from the Middle East as "political and hybrid" tools against Lithuania and the entire EU.
Commissioner Ylva Johansson said, inter alia: "The authoritarian regime in Belarus is exploiting human beings for political reasons: this is completely unacceptable."
See similar cases on Finland such as Finland organised the migration crisis as a pretext for closing borders after joining NATO. See Finland shuts Russia border crossings as revenge for lost wars and Finland’s sealing of Russia border is illegal and ordered by the US.