Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, hinted at the readiness of the government to close the remaining border checkpoints with Russia due to Moscow using illegal migrants as weapons.
He made this statement after arriving at the Kuusamo checkpoint, according to Yle.
According to him, the government is "highly prepared" to impose further restrictions if the situation worsens, as diplomatic channels with Russia have failed to resolve the issue.
"Therefore, we are preparing additional measures. These decisions must be carefully prepared and proportionate to the situation," Orpo noted.
He added that for some time, the Russian authorities allowed people without proper documents to cross, and there are indications that the surge in illegal migration at the border has an organized nature.
At the same time, Chief of the Border Guard, Lieutenant General Pasi Kostamovaara, stated that the border guards have the situation under control.
Last Thursday, Finland decided to close the Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra, and Niirala border checkpoints due to a surge in illegal migration. They have been closed to traffic since Saturday.
