Finland will close its border with Russia over migrant concerns

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland says it will close its last remaining border crossing with Russia amid concerns that Moscow is using migrants as part of “hybrid warfare” to destabilize the Nordic country following its entry into NATO. Finland already had shut seven of its eight of the checkpoints on its 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia this month following a surge in migrant arrivals. Since August, a trickle of asylum-seekers arrived at the normally heavily controlled border, which is the European Union’s easternmost member. This month, Finnish authorities say about 900 crossed from Russia, an unusual increase. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said his country has a “profound reason to suspect” that the influx was orchestrated “and we won’t accept it.”