Finland to erect barriers to stop migrants it alleges Russia sent
Finland
Finnish officials on Friday (November 17) said that the country will erect barriers at four border crossings with Russia from midnight to stop the increasing flow of migrants which Helsinki says is orchestrated by Russia. Finland alleges that Russian authorities are funneling migrants as retaliation for its decision for enhanced defence cooperation with the US. Kremlin denies the claim.
The Finnish Border Guard has said that these barriers will be erected at four of the nine crossings with Russia at Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala. They will be erected before 1900 local time (1700 GMT), as per Finland's public broadcaster YLE.
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The public broadcaster has said that physical confrontations have taken place between border guards and migrants.
YLE said that the guards used chemical irritant to repel a migrant and others were pushed by after a group of 30 migrant tried to storm through the border crossing at Niirala
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"Our aim is to use barrier devices to prevent entry," the Border Guard's head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, told reporters. The measures were a response to changes in Russia's border policy, he added.
Russian state news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov who said that Finland was making "big mistake" by choosing a path of confrontation with Russia.
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"(One can) only express deep regret that the Finnish authorities have taken the path of destroying bilateral relations," TASS quoted Peskov as saying.
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The Finnish Border Guard has said that about 300 asylum seekers mostly from Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and Syria arrived in Finland just this week.
Nearly 100 had entered Finland from Russia by midday on Friday alone, officials said.
There is a 1340 km border between Russia and Finland. It also serves as the European Union's external border.
(With inputs from agencies)