Finland closes four checkpoints on the border with Russia from November 18

Finland will close four checkpoints on the border with Russia from November 18. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters about this at a press conference.

“Finland closes border crossings on its eastern border. They will be closed on the night from Friday to Saturday.”he said.

The Finnish government’s decision is valid until February 18, 2024.

The checkpoints of Vaalimaa/Torfyanovka, Nuyamaa/Brusnichnoe, Imatra/Svetogorsk in the Leningrad region and Niirala/Vyartsilya in Karelia were closed.

Earlier on November 14, it was reported that the Finnish Ministry of Internal Affairs intended to limit the operation of checkpoints on the Russian border. The head of the department, Marie Rantanen, explained this decision by the supposedly large “influx of refugees” from Syria, Somalia, and Yemen. In turn, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova called the accusations of Helsinki about “refugees” disinformation and emphasized that they have no basis.