Finland closes last crossing point with Russia, sealing off entire border as tensions rise

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — NATO member Finland has closed its last remaining border crossing with Russia. The move Wednesday comes after the government decided to seal the entire border with its eastern neighbor amid rising political tensions between Helsinki and Moscow. The decision to close the entire 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border was made by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Tuesday over concerns that Moscow is using migrants to wage “hybrid warfare” to destabilize the Nordic country following its entry into NATO. The Raja-Jooseppi crossing point in Finland’s Arctic Lapland region, located some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the northern Russian city of Murmansk, was closed at 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to the checkpoint’s normal November schedule.