Gov't Unveils Law To Tackle 'Instrumentalised Migration' From Russia

Finnish PM Petteri Orpo and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen have announced thepreparation of legislationto deal with the prospect of major migrant flows into the country orchestrated by Russia as part of a 'hybrid attack' on the NATO member state.

• Since 2023 Finland has on a number of occassions closed its land borders with Russia to those travelling on foot, alledging that the Kremlin is funnelling migrants towards the northern frontier in an effort to increase security risks and sow political discord in Finland. The gov't terms the actions 'instrumentalised migration'.
• Gov't statement: "Finland must be prepared for the possibility that Russia will exert prolonged pressure on Finland and that we will see more serious and larger-scale instrumentalised migration. Finland’s eastern border is an external border of both the EU and NATO. The external border of the Schengen area must not become a pathway for instrumentalised migration into Europe."
• Earlier in the week Orpo warnedthat "Russia is evidently preparing for a long conflict with the West, and represents a permanent and existential military threat to Europe." Meanwhile, in a televised interview Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to confirm that, in a largely-expected move Russian troops would be moved to the Finnish border following its NATO accession last year.
• Immigration remains one of the most high-profile issues impacting political stability in Europe. As such, measures such as those announced by Orpo could become more commonplace in the event of wider Russian efforts to 'instrumentalise' migration flows into EU/NATO members.