On November 28, 2023, the Finnish government
announced that it will close the entire Finnish-Russian land border, including to asylum applicants, until December 13, 2023, starting at midnight on November 30, 2023. As of November 30, 2023, asylum applicants will have to apply for asylum at Finnish airports or harbors. The government cited harsh winter conditions and the direction of asylum seekers to the border by Russia as the reason for the closure.
This new closure comes on the heels of the closure of four other border crossings effective November 18, and an additional three border closures effective November 24, 2023. The closures follow a recent rise in the number of Russian asylum seekers that the Finnish government calls a hybrid (i.e., nonmilitary) attack by Russia. With these latest closures, effective November 30, all land border crossings between Russia and Finland are closed. The border at Vainikkala, which allows only for the transport of goods and not people, will remain open. The land border with Russia will remain closed as long as necessary, at least until December 13, 2023.
Finnish law allows for border closures when “necessary to avert a serious threat to public order, national security or public health.” According to the Finnish government, during the month of November 2023, more than 600 applicants for international protection who lacked valid travel documents have arrived at its eastern land border with Russia at what the Finnish government considers to be the explicit direction of Russian officials — up from less than an average of 10 a month during the months of January through September 2023.
The Finnish government explained that it feared an increasing number of asylum applicants would be directed to the land border during harsh winter conditions, which would overwhelm the Finnish authorities. According to the government, it had sought to end the influx of asylum applicants by requesting the Russian border agents not to send asylum seekers lacking necessary travel documents through to Finland.
Reportedly, the Finnish Chancellor of Justice had previously stopped the Finnish government from closing the entire eastern border, as it would interfere with the right to seek asylum. Under Finnish law, it is the role of the Chancellor of Justice to ensure that the Finnish government and government agencies comply with Finnish law in their actions. This new decision has reportedly been approved by the Chancellor of Justice due to the extraordinary circumstances at the border, which constitute a risk to human life.
