Authorities Decide Frontex Will Guard Finland’s Eastern Border Until at Least Summer

Frontex has announced plans to extend its support to assist the Finnish Border Guard in monitoring the country’s eastern border, with the goal of controlling and limiting border crossings along this route.

The initial two-month period of assistance, which was set to conclude on January 24th, saw the deployment of 50 border guards and other employees to help monitor the eastern border, according to information from the Finnish Border Guard, RAJA.

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In an update, Frontex has declared that one-third of the deployed personnel will remain in Finland until at least next summer. Additionally, the support will be targeted at Border Guard units in Southeast Finland, Kainuu, and North Karelia, as well as at the technical equipment and document experts working on the eastern border and at Helsinki Airport.

The Finnish government has decided to keep its borders with Russia closed at least until February, citing concerns over Russia’s alleged orchestrated immigration efforts at the Finnish border. As a result, Finland is not currently accepting international protection applicants at its eastern border, instead directing them to submit their requests at authorized border crossing points.

Frontex data indicates that the total number of border crossings along the eastern route in November 2023 decreased to 355 from 536 in the previous year. The majority of these crossings originated from Ukraine (82.8 percent), followed by Iran (6.4 percent) and Syria (2.8 percent).

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the number of Ukrainian nationals at the Eastern border has surged. In February, there were 92 border crossings, which then rose to 1,035 the following month. Since then, the total number of border crossings originating from Ukraine along the Eastern Borders Route has reached 11,771, with 80.3 percent from Ukraine.

The Finnish government, through the Ministry of Interior, has announced that border crossing points on the land border between Finland and Russia will remain closed until February 11, 2024. Additionally, it will not be possible to submit applications for international protection at any border crossing points on the land border between Finland and Russia. Finishing up, 23 source documents assessed.