Russia luring migrants from Finnish border for war in Ukraine
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Russia is attempting to recruit foreign migrants detained during the recent sweep on the border with Finland to fight in the war in Ukraine, reports ВВС.
Journalists have seen evidence of several cases in which foreigners were rushed into a military camp on the border with Ukraine, days after they were picked up for breaching immigration laws.
The practice of coercing people in pre-deportation detention centers to sign contracts for army service in Ukraine is not new, but the numbers swelled as foreign migrants arrived at Russia's 1,340 km border with Finland.
Unprecedented numbers of migrants began turning up at Finland's border and applying for refugee status. Finnish authorities accused Russia of encouraging the influx and abandoning their usual visa checks for travelers entering the border zone.
They highlighted the organized distribution of bicycles, most of them brand new, which migrants used to cover the last stretch of the Russian border zone, bypassing Russia's ban on approaching its border posts on foot.
Closing the Finnish border with Russia
On November 30, the Finnish government decided to temporarily close all border crossings on the border with Russia.
Before that, Finland began blocking entry from Russia due to the influx of illegal migrants. For example, the Finnish Border Guard Service banned entry for people who ride a bicycle through checkpoints on the border with Russia.
Finnish border guards even had to use tear gas when emigrants tried to illegally enter camps from Russia.
Amid the migrant crisis, Finland closed four checkpoints on the border with Russia on November 18, and on November 22, the Finnish government decided to close almost all border crossings.
