On the 15th of December, the Finnish Government was forced to close the Vaalimaa and Niirala border crossing points between Finland and Russia, up to 14th of January 2024. The border crossing points were opened to traffic just on the 14th of December and the plan was to gradually lift restrictions on border traffic at the land border between Finland and Russia and to monitor the effects of the removal of these restrictions. However, it was found that instrumented entry into Finland continued on Thursday, so a decision to this effect was made by the extraordinary session of the Government on the same 14th of December. According to the Finnish authorities, it is clear that this type of entry in Finland has been aided by foreign authorities or other actors; elements of international crime are also involved. This type of irregular immigration and the prospect of its escalation pose a serious threat to national security and public order in Finland.
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