Reports-Gov't Set To Maintain Closure Of Border Posts w/Russia

Finnish outlet Iltalehti reportingthat according to unnamed sources, the gov't is set to extend the closure of its border posts with Russia beyond the current 14 Jan timeframe. The Finnish border has been closed to foot traffic from Russia since late 2023, with the gov't in Helsinki accusing the Kremlin of orchestrating the transit of large numbers of Middle Eastern, Africa, and Asian migrants to the nations' border in an effort to sow domestic political discord and raise security threats to Finland, the most newly-minted NATO member state.

• Moscow denies any such activity, but the incidents do appear similar to the massive increase in migrants seeking to cross the border into Poland from Belarus in 2022, a phenomenon Warsaw laid at the feet of the Lukashenko regime in Minsk, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• The security situation between Russia and Finland remains tense. In 2023, the Kremlin confirmed the re-creation of the Leningrad Military District, which was previously merged into the Moscow Military District in 2010. The district centres on St. Petersburg and covers the far north-west of Russia, including the Finnish border. Putin stated that an increased number of troops would be posted to the region.
• Following this, Finland signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement with the US, which will see US forces allowed access to 15 Finnish military bases.