HELSINKI — Finland will maintain restrictions at its eastern border with Russia for security reasons, the government said this month, extending the closure of land border crossing points and continuing special measures related to asylum applications amid what authorities describe as an ongoing risk to national security.
The Finnish government announced on June 4 that border crossing points along the country's eastern frontier with Russia would remain closed until further notice. The decision also continues the policy of centralizing applications for international protection at other external border crossing points that remain open for air and maritime traffic, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
“The Government has renewed its decision on the closure of border crossing points on the eastern border,” the ministry said in a statement. Officials added that the measure would remain in force while authorities continue to assess security conditions. The border has been closed since December 2023 under a series of government decisions.
Finnish authorities have repeatedly argued that the restrictions are necessary to counter what they describe as “instrumentalised migration,” a term used to refer to the alleged use of migrant flows to exert political pressure. Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said in May that the security situation on the eastern border remained “tense but stable” and that authorities must remain prepared for rapid changes.
“The security authorities estimate that the threat of instrumentalised migration at Finland's eastern border remains high,” the Interior Ministry said when announcing plans to extend related border-security legislation.
The restrictions form part of broader border-security measures adopted since relations between Finland and Russia deteriorated following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Finland's subsequent accession to NATO in 2023. Finnish authorities have also advanced construction of a security fence along parts of the border and introduced additional travel-document requirements for Russian citizens, including a decision to stop accepting most non-biometric Russian passports from June 1, 2026.
Russia has rejected Finland's allegations that Moscow encouraged or facilitated migrant movements toward the border. Russian officials have previously described Finnish restrictions as unjustified and have denied accusations that migration is being used as a political tool.
The issue has also drawn scrutiny from human-rights advocates and legal observers. Critics of Finland's border measures have questioned whether some restrictions are fully consistent with international asylum obligations, while Finnish authorities maintain that the policies are necessary to protect public order and national security.
As of Monday, all land border crossing points between Finland and Russia remained closed. The government said it would continue reviewing the situation regularly and could amend or repeal the restrictions if security conditions change, though officials said no timetable for such a move had been established.
