Finland's prime minister, Petteri Orpo, has declared the closure of certain border crossings with Russia. The decision involves shutting down four southern crossing points at midnight on Friday, while two in the north will continue to process asylum applications.

The move comes in response to a recent increase in illegal border crossings from Russia, primarily involving individuals from third countries. Orpo accuses Russia of deliberately aiding people lacking proper documentation to reach the border.

The border crossings affected by the closure are Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Niirala, and Imatra, situated in the far southeast of the country and witnessing a surge in illegal crossings by individuals from nations such as Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.

However, the crossings at Salla and Vartius, in the far north, will remain open for asylum applications, as stated by Prime Minister Orpo. On Wednesday, border guards reported the arrival of seventy-five asylum seekers in Finland.

Finnish authorities say the people coming to their country arrive legally in Russia before traveling to the border to pass into Finland and claim asylum.

The prime minister has accused the Russian authorities of engineering the crossings.

"It is clear that these people are helped and they are also being escorted or transported to the border by border guards," Mr Orpo said on Tuesday.

In 2021, thousands of migrants flew to Russian ally Belarus before crossing into EU member states Poland and Lithuania. At the time, the EU accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of seeking to destabilize the bloc by facilitating the passage of third-country citizens into the EU.

Finland shares a 1,340km (833-mile) border with Russia, Europe's longest.

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