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☆ NATO's newest member says its shutting down its border with Russia, accusing Moscow of cruelly working to create a migrant crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Finnish officials accused Russia of purposefully sending hundreds of asylum seekers to the Finland. AdvertisementAs waves of asylum seekers surge toward Finland amid freezing temperatures, the country has decided to shut down its border with Russia. The crisis that has been emerging, Finnish officials say, is one that was artificially created by Russia intentionally sending migrants to the Finnish border. "Russia is enabling the instrumentalisation of people and guiding them to the Finnish border in harsh winter conditions. NATO's newest member has highlighted Moscow's involvement, accusing Russian border guards of escorting migrants to the border themselves.

Persons: —, Dmitri Peskov, Petteri Orpo, Mari Rantanen, JUSSI NUKARI, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Belarus, Service, NATO, Helsinki, Institute for, European Union, Rights Watch Locations: Finland, Russia, Poland, Moscow, Belarus, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Salla, Finnish Lapland, Washington, DC, Russia's

☆ Finland will close Russian border for 2 weeks to stop asylum seekers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A view of closed gates at the Raja-Jooseppi international border crossing station before its opening in Inari, northern Finland on November 24, 2023. Finland last week shut all but one of its border posts to travellers from Russia, keeping open only the northernmost crossing located in the Arctic. On Monday he said his country had intelligence information on Russian authorities assisting the asylum seekers and that despite Finnish border closures, there were still more people heading towards Finland in Russia. On Monday, only three asylum seekers arrived in Finland through the remote Raja-Jooseppi station, the last open border post, and on Tuesday there were no entrants. The border station will remain open on Wednesday before closing until Dec. 13, the government said.

Persons: Korhonen, Petteri Orpo, Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, Anna Ringstrom, Louise Rasmussen, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Nordic, Finnish Border Guard, Finland's Border Guard, Kremlin, NATO, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Inari, Finland, Russia, Moscow, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Helsinki, United States, Ukraine

CNN —Almost three years on from its bloody coup, Myanmar’s military junta is facing the biggest threat to its hold on power as it fights wars on multiple fronts across the Southeast Asian nation. Junta airstrikes and ground attacks on what the Myanmar military calls “terrorist” targets have killed thousands of civilians to date, including children, and displaced about 2 million people. Stringer/AFP/Getty ImagesCNN has reached out to Myanmar’s military spokesperson for comment on the recent fighting but has not received a response. Stringer/AFP/Getty ImgesIn the jungles of southeast Kayah state, fighting has raged near the state capital Loikaw. Video filmed and published by the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force appears to show Myanmar army soldiers surrendering to rebels at Loikaw University who are filmed treating their injuries.

Persons: ”, Matthew Arnold, ” Arnold, Min Aung, Aung, Suu Kyi, “, Bo Nagar, Stringer, Myint Swe, Chin Shwe Haw, Nan Diya, Lalmalsawma Hnamte, Lin Lin, Ye Myo Hein, May, – “, Karen, Chin state’s Matupi, Tian Junli, Arnold, Myanmar’s, it’s, Suu Organizations: CNN, United Nations, National Unity Government, Junta, Myanmar, UN, Administration Council, Burma National Revolutionary Army, National Liberation Army, Alliance, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Arakan Army, ”, Getty, Reuters, Loikaw, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, Loikaw University, Resistance, Burma People’s Liberation Army, Brotherhood Alliance, United States Institute of Peace, Wilson Center, Border Guard Forces, China, Global Times, PLA Southern Theater Command Locations: Myanmar, Myanmar’s, Suu, Yangon, Mandalay, Burma, Namhsan Township, Shan State, AFP, Arakan, China, ”, Shan, Chin, Muse, Rakhine, Pauktaw, Lashio, Kayah, Mizoram, “, Sagaing region, Asia, Kawkareik, Karenni, Sagaing, India, Thailand, Bangladesh

[1/10] Cadets of Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University take part in a swearing-in ceremony at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 8, 2023. "We want Ukraine to win, but not through the efforts of the same people," she said in an interview at her home in Kyiv. Women on the home front have also had to become stronger, she added: "But at what cost did we become stronger?" Only Ukrainian men aged between 27 and 60 can be mobilised by draft officers. Ukraine, which has said it has about 1 million people under arms, has barred military-age men from going abroad.

Persons: Viacheslav, Antonina Danylevych's, Danylevych, Oleksandr, who's, they're, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Dyma Cherevychenko, Oksen Lisovyi, Ben Wallace, Zelenskiy's, David Arakhamia, Anton Hrushetskyi, We'd, Hrushetskyi, couldn't, Charlotte Bruneau, Thomas Peter, Tom Balmforth, Mike Collett, White Organizations: of Military Institute, Taras Shevchenko National University, National Museum of, REUTERS, Army, Russian, shirk, Economist, dodgers, Reuters, Education, Facebook, Telegraph, Trust, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, KYIV, Ukrainian, Russian, Bakhmut, Kyiv's, United States, Russia, Romania

☆ Finland plans more measures to stop asylum surge from Russia border
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Finnish Border Guards escort migrants arriving at the Raja-Jooseppi international border crossing station in Inari, Finland, November 25, 2023. Some 900 asylum seekers from nations including Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen have entered Finland from Russia in November, an increase from less than one per day previously, according to the Finnish Border Guard. Finland blames a change in Russian border protocol for the increase and calls this a hybrid attack. Finland infuriated Russia when it joined NATO in April, ending decades of military non-alignment, due to the war in Ukraine. If this continues, more measures will be announced in the near future," Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a press conference.

Persons: Korhonen, Petteri Orpo, Ulf Kristersson, Orpo, Jens Stoltenberg, " Stoltenberg, Anne Kauranen, Anna Ringstrom, Andrew Gray, Louise Rasmussen, Terje Solsvik, Alison Williams Organizations: Finnish Border Guards, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Finnish Border Guard, Kremlin, NATO, Border Guard, Swedish, Frontex, Monday, European Union, Thomson Locations: Inari, Finland, Russia, Moscow, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, United States, Ukraine, Sweden, EU, Brussels, Finland's, NATO, East, Africa, Belarus, Poland, Minsk, Helsinki, Stockholm

☆ Polish Truckers Start Round-The-Clock Blockade of Fourth Ukrainian Border Crossing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish truckers and farmers started a round-the-clock blockade of access on Monday to Medyka, one of the busiest border crossings with Ukraine, extending a protest that has left thousand of lorries stranded for days in queues that stretch for miles. Polish truckers have already been blocking access to three other border crossings since Nov. 6, demanding that the European Union reintroduce a permit system for Ukrainian truckers entering the bloc and for EU truckers entering Ukraine, with exemptions for humanitarian aid and military supplies. The current waiting time for trucks to cross at Medyka, one of eight road border crossings with Ukraine, is 127 hours according to data from the Polish border guard. In Medyka truckers are joining a protest organised by farmers who are demanding that government support to help them deal with low grain prices be continued. Two trucks per hour are being let through at Medyka, the protesters say, with exemptions for humanitarian aid and war supplies.

Persons: Tomasz Borkowski, Karol Badohal, Alan Charlish, Susan Fenton Organizations: European Union, Transport Employers, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry Locations: WARSAW, Ukraine, Polish, European, Russia, Russian, Poland, Medyka

☆ Polish truckers start round-the-clock blockade of fourth Ukrainian border crossing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO:Ukrainian trucks are parked near the Poland-Ukraine border, near the village of Korczowa, Poland November 19, 2023. Polish truckers have already been blocking access to three other border crossings since Nov. 6, demanding that the European Union reintroduce a permit system for Ukrainian truckers entering the bloc and for EU truckers entering Ukraine, with exemptions for humanitarian aid and military supplies. The current waiting time for trucks to cross at Medyka, one of eight road border crossings with Ukraine, is 127 hours according to data from the Polish border guard. In Medyka truckers are joining a protest organised by farmers who are demanding that government support to help them deal with low grain prices be continued. Two trucks per hour are being let through at Medyka, the protesters say, with exemptions for humanitarian aid and war supplies.

Persons: Yan, Tomasz Borkowski, Karol Badohal, Alan Charlish, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Transport Employers, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry, Thomson Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Korczowa, Polish, European, Russia, Russian, Medyka

☆ As Migration to Europe Rises, a Backlash Grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Laurence Norman | Tom Fairless | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Finnish border guards escort migrants at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland, this week. Photo: lehtikuva/ReutersRising migration across Europe, including the biggest surge in asylum seekers since a 2015-2016 migrant crisis, is fueling support for far-right and anti-immigration parties, potentially reshaping European politics for years. Nationalist parties that champion a harder line against immigration are surging in polls and have entered governments in countries from Italy to Finland, as anxiety rises about sluggish economic growth and crises from Ukraine to the Middle East. The far right is polling strongly in the continent’s two largest countries, Germany and France.

Organizations: Nationalist Locations: Salla, Finland, Europe, Italy, Ukraine, Germany, France

Now, hundreds of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have appeared at Finland's border from Russia, seeking entry into the Nordic country. They accuse Russia of driving the migrants to the border to sow discord as payback for Finland's membership in NATO. Finnish authorities quickly closed four checkpoints and then three more, leaving just one Arctic crossing point open for asylum-seekers. Finland also asked for help from EU border agency Frontex, which said it would send dozens of officers and equipment as reinforcements to the Finnish border. The Kremlin denies encouraging the migrants, and says it regrets the Finnish border closures.

Persons: Elina Valtonen, Petteri Orpo, Maria Zakharova, Valtonen, Russia’s, ”, Klaus Dodds, ” Dodds, Ylva Johansson, Sauli Niinistö, Alexander Lukashenko, Evika Siliņa, Siliņa, Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, “, Geert Wilders, Orpo’s, Vanessa Gera Organizations: HELSINKI, —, NATO, Nordic, Associated Press, HOW, EU, Frontex, Russian Foreign Ministry, Royal Holloway, University of London, VU EU Home Affairs, Belarus —, Latvian, AP, Poland’s, Guard Locations: Finland, Russia, East, Africa, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Finnish, FINLAND, Helsinki, Belarus, Europe, Moscow, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Baltic, Netherlands, Finns, Lapland, Murmansk, Warsaw

☆ Finland shuts all passenger border crossings with Russia but one
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Finnish Border Guards escort the migrants at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland, November 23, 2023. Having last week closed four border stations, Finland overnight closed all remaining passenger crossings except its northernmost one, Raja-Jooseppi located in the northern Arctic region, for a month. Separately, the Finnish Border Guard said on Friday it expects dozens of officers from the European Union's Frontex border agency to help patrol the 1,340 km (833 mile) border with Russia from next week. "Their task will primarily be to patrol the land border under the supervision of the Finnish Border Guards and to support them," Border Security Expert Arttu Maaranen told Reuters. Estonia, like Finland, has accused Moscow of sending migrants to its border with Russia in what its interior minister called "a hybrid attack operation".

Persons: Lehtikuva, Jussi Nukari, Jooseppi, Maaranen, Frontex, Jonas Gahr Stoere, Gahr Stoere, Anne Kauranen, Victoria Klesty, Anna Ringstrom, Gareth Jones Organizations: Finnish Border Guards, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Nordic, Kremlin, Finnish Border Guard, Reuters, Estonian, NATO, Thomson Locations: Salla, Finland, Russia, Moscow, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Helsinki, Norway, Finland's, Norwegian, Tallinn, Estonia, Oslo

☆ EU to deploy more staff on Finnish-Russian border amid asylum crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Abandoned bicycles lie at the international border crossing, as migrants arrive to the northern border stations between Finland and Russia, in Salla, Lapland, Finland November 23, 2023. Helsinki has accused Moscow of funnelling migrants to the border from nations such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria, a charge the Kremlin has denied. Frontex in a statement on Thursday said it would deploy 50 border guard officers and other staff to Finland along with equipment such as patrol cars, to bolster control activities. Finland earlier this week said it had asked for 60 Frontex officers on top of 10 already stationed in the country. Frontex said it would send a first group of staff on Nov. 29, including border surveillance officers, support for registering migrants, document experts and interpreters.

Persons: Lehtikuva, Jussi Nukari, Coast Guard Agency Frontex, Frontex, Anna Ringstrom, Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Coast Guard Agency, Nordic, Kremlin, Finland, Thomson Locations: Finland, Russia, Salla, Lapland, Rights STOCKHOLM, Helsinki, Moscow, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria

☆ Crypto scam: Inside the billion-dollar ‘pig-butchering’ industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Of that, at least $9.1 million came from a crypto wallet that U.S. blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs said was linked to pig-butchering scams. Neither did the Thai government, the Thai police or the Bangkok-based trade group Wang represented, the Thai-Asia Economic Exchange Trade Association. The crypto account registered to Wang was held at Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, according to three blockchain analysis firms. In April, the U.S. Department of Justice said it seized about $112 million worth of crypto linked to pig-butchering scams, without identifying suspects. The crypto account in Wang’s name was registered in November 2020, according to the financial records Reuters reviewed.

Persons: Wang Yicheng, Wang, Emma, Lisa Wolk, Erin West, Jessica Jung, West, “ I’ve, Jeremy Douglas, Binance, Bitmain, ” Organizations: Thai, Reuters, TRM Labs, Asia Economic Exchange Trade Association, U.S . Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, FBI, Secret, Global, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S . Treasury, United Nations Office, Drugs, Workers, KK Park, Commerce Company, Cultural Exchange Center, Overseas, United, Washington, Cultural Exchange Locations: California, Bangkok, Thai, Asia, Southeast Asia, U.S, Binance, United States, Thailand, China, Myanmar, KK, Ningbo, China’s, Xiamen

Abandoned bicycles lie at the international border crossing, as migrants arrive to the northern border stations between Finland and Russia, in Salla, Lapland, Finland November 23, 2023. Finland on Wednesday said it will close all but the northernmost crossing point on its 1,340 km (830 miles) border with Russia, leaving open only a remote Arctic route from Friday morning onwards. Frontex in a statement said it would deploy 50 border guard officers and other staff to Finland along with equipment such as patrol cars, to bolster control activities. Frontex said it would send a first group of staff on Nov. 29, including border surveillance officers, support for registering migrants, document experts and interpreters. Reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm and Essi Lehto in Helsinki, editing by Terje Solsvik and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lehtikuva, Jussi Nukari, Coast Guard Agency Frontex, Mari Rantanen, Rantanen, Frontex, Anna Ringstrom, Essi, Terje Solsvik, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Coast Guard Agency, Nordic, Kremlin, Finland, Thomson Locations: Finland, Russia, Salla, Lapland, Rights STOCKHOLM, Helsinki, Moscow, funnelling, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Stockholm

☆ Finland may shut entire Russian border, foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A car is seen at the border between Russia and Finland at the Nuijamaa border checkpoint in Lappeenranta, Finland, November 16, 2023. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Russia will "of course" respond if Finland closes the remaining border posts between the two countries. Valtonen confirmed observations by the Finnish border guards and said Finnish decision-makers had additional evidence that the Russian border service was transporting the migrants to the border but declined to reveal her sources. Valtonen said Finland had tried discussing the matter with Russia but Moscow had so far declined to engage in dialogue. On Wednesday, 51 migrants arrived from Russia to apply for asylum at the Salla border crossing and at least 11 at Vartius in Northern Finland, the Border Guard said.

Persons: Moilanen, Elina Valtonen, Valtonen, Maria Zakharova, Ylva Johansson, Essi, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, European Union, Kremlin, Foreign, Valtonen, NATO, Frontex, Border Guard, Thomson Locations: Russia, Finland, Lappeenranta, Helsinki, Moscow, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Russian, EU's, Finnish, Vartius, Northern Finland

CNN —The two occupants of a car that exploded Wednesday at the US-Canada Rainbow Bridge border crossing are dead, a law enforcement source told CNN. The FBI, New York State Police and US Customs and Border Protection are on the scene investigating. A vehicle was trying to enter the US side of the border, according to a spokesperson for the Niagara Falls mayor’s office. Debris is scattered about inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, New York. There are four ports of entry between Canada and the US near Niagara Falls, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

Persons: Dominic LeBlanc, “, Derek Gee, ” Aaron Ferguson, CNN’s Laura Dolan Organizations: CNN, New York State, Public, FBI, New York State Police, US Customs, Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition, The Buffalo News Locations: Canada, New York, Buffalo , New York, Niagara Falls , New York, Niagara Falls

☆ Finland May Shut Entire Russian Border, Foreign Minister Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"We have already taken measures to close border crossing points, and if need be, we will be doing further closings," Valtonen said in an interview, adding that closing the entire border was one option the government was currently discussing. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Russia will "of course" respond if Finland closes the remaining border posts between the two countries. Valtonen confirmed observations by the Finnish border guards and said Finnish decision-makers had additional evidence that the Russian border service was transporting the migrants to the border but declined to reveal her sources. Valtonen said Finland had tried discussing the matter with Russia but Moscow had so far declined to engage in dialogue. On Wednesday, 51 migrants arrived from Russia to apply for asylum at the Salla border crossing and at least 11 at Vartius in Northern Finland, the Border Guard said.

Persons: Elina Valtonen, Valtonen, Maria Zakharova, Ylva Johansson, Essi Lehto, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Frances Kerry Organizations: Essi Lehto, Reuters, European Union, Kremlin, Foreign, Valtonen, NATO, Frontex, Border Guard Locations: Essi Lehto HELSINKI, Finland, Russia, Helsinki, Moscow, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Russian, EU's, Finnish, Vartius, Northern Finland

☆ Finland to close all but northernmost border crossing with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The government has today decided to close more border stations," Orpo told a press conference. Finland said Russia was letting migrants through those two crossing points by foot despite an agreement that they could only be crossed by car. "There are growing signs that the situation is worsening on the eastern border," Orpo said. Finland will shut three of the four remaining border crossing points from midnight on Friday, leaving only the Raja-Jooseppi crossing in the Arctic open. "Raja-Jooseppi is the northernmost (border crossing) and it requires a real effort to get there," Orpo said.

Persons: Petteri Orpo, Orpo, Ylva Johansson, Sauli Niinisto, Moscow's, Essi Lehto, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Alexandra Hudson, Christina Fincher, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Nordic, European Union, Kremlin, Finland, Russia, Thomson Locations: HELSINKI, Finland, Russia, Helsinki, Moscow, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, EU, Estonia, Baltic, Finnish, Vartius, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, East, Africa

"It is very likely that the Russian authorities are heavily involved in the transport operation. Very probably the border guards are involved on their side," he told Reuters. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Finland's accusation that Russia was deliberately pushing illegal migrants towards the border and said Russian border guards were carrying out their duties in line with the rules. Kivenjuuri said access to the border zone on the Russian side was controlled by Russian authorities. "The border zone is wider on the Russian side and these people are not allowed freely into the border zone.

Persons: Tomi Kivenjuuri, Dmitry Peskov, Jouko Kinnunen, Kivenjuuri, Migri, Antti Lehtinen, Essi Lehto, Anne Kauranen Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, European, Helsinki, Reuters, Finland's Border Guard, Lapland Border Guards, Russian, Asylum Unit, Thomson Locations: Finland, HELSINKI, Russia, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Helsinki, Moscow, Finnish, Vartius, Russian, Afghanistan, Morocco

☆ Russia is pushing migrants to create a crisis at a NATO neighbor's border, and it's not the first time they've done it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia is sending asylum seekers to Finland, creating a migrant crisis on the border, Finnish authorities say. Finland has already closed several border checkpoints and is considering shutting down its entire Russian border. AdvertisementRussia is creating a migrant crisis at Finland's borders, apparently sending hundreds of asylum seekers to the country. Finland has blamed Russia for artificially creating the migrant crisis, with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo saying last week that Russian border guards were escorting migrants to the border themselves. Finnish border guards escort migrants with bicycles at the international border crossing with Russia at Salla, Finnish Lapland on November 21, 2023.

Persons: —, Dmitri Peskov, Petteri Orpo, JUSSI NUKARI, it's, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Service, NATO, Twitter, Business, Finnish, Russian, Getty, Kremlin, The Institute, Washington DC, European Union, Watch Locations: Russia, Finland, Belarus, Poland, Finland's, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Russian, Salla, Finnish Lapland, AFP, Washington, Russia's, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland's

☆ A vengeful Russia is sending streams of migrants to Finland's borders to punish it for working with the US, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Finland has accused Russia of sending undocumented migrants across the border. It says 300 migrants have arrived at the border with the help of Russian officials. AdvertisementA vengeful Russia is attempting to stoke a migrant crisis in Finland by sending hundreds of asylum across the border on bicycles and scooters, authorities in Helsinki say. Finnish officials also said that Russia has been giving out bicycles and scooters to migrants because people are banned from walking between the Russian and Finnish border checkpoints, according to The Telegraph. Finland has an 830-mile-long border with Russia, forming the easternmost boundary of the European Union.

Persons: —, Petteri Orpo, Orpo, Sauli Niinistö, Dmitry Peskov, It's, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Experts, Russia, NATO, Service, Reuters, The Telegraph, Kremlin, European Union Locations: Finland, Russia, stoke, Helsinki, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, United States, Europe, Belarus, Russian, Poland

☆ Finland mulls more border restrictions as asylum seekers 'impossible' to return
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHELSINKI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Finland said on Monday it had become impossible to return asylum seekers who did not meet the criteria for protection and said that it might further restrict migrant entries from Russia following a jump in the number of applicants. Over 500 asylum seekers, mostly from Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Iraq, arrived in Finland - an eastern outpost of the European Union - via Russia in the past two weeks, prompting Helsinki to shut half its border crossings and accuse Moscow of funnelling migrants to its border. Migrants entering Finland from Russia can now only request asylum at two of the remaining four crossing points on their shared 1,340-km (830-mile) border. The Kremlin said on Monday it had lodged a formal protest over the partial border closure, saying the decision reflected an anti-Russian stance.

Persons: Sauli Niinisto, Caitlin Ochs, Niinisto, Petteri Orpo, Orpo, Tomi Kivenjuuri, Kivenjuuri, Moscow's, Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, Anna Ringstrom, Jonathan Oatis, Gareth Jones Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, European, Migrants, Finnish Border Guard, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York, U.S, Finland, Russia, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Helsinki, Moscow, Poland, EU, Finnish, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, East, Africa, Oslo, Stockholm

☆ Around 3,000 trucks stuck at Ukrainian border due to Polish drivers' blockade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Nov 19 (Reuters) - About 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks were stuck on the Polish side of the border as of Sunday morning due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukrainian officials said last week Kyiv and Warsaw had again failed to reach an agreement to stop the protest. "For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Now only a few vehicles per hour are going through the Polish border at blocked checkpoints, Ukrainian border guards say. Ukrainian grain brokers said last week Ukraine's shipments of food by road decreased 2.7% in the first 13 days of November due to difficulties on the Polish border caused by a drivers' strike.

Persons: Oleksandr Kubrakov, Pavel Polityuk, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Rava, Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry, Spike, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Warsaw, Polish, Poland

☆ Dozens of migrants wait at Finland-Russia border after Helsinki blocks crossings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HELSINKI, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Dozens of migrants stood behind barriers at two crossings on Finland's border with Russia on Saturday, the Finnish Border Guard said, after Helsinki erected barricades to halt a flow of asylum seekers it says was instigated by Moscow. Despite the closure, dozens of migrants arrived on Saturday afternoon at the Nuijamaa and Vaalimaa crossings, and lit a campfire in sub-zero temperatures behind razor-wire barriers mounted by border guards, Finnish Border Guard told reporters. Four regular border crossings remain open for the time being, but asylum can now only be sought at two of those, in Salla and Vartius, further north, the Border Guard said. On Saturday, 67 people arrived to seek asylum at the Vartius post, the local border guard unit said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Kremlin on Friday said Finland was making a "big mistake" by closing down border crossings and that Helsinki's move was destroying bilateral relations.

Persons: Mika Rytkonen, Jouko Kinnunen, Moscow's, Riikka Purra, Anne Kauranen, Attila Cser, Kevin Liffey, Terje Solsvik, Ros Russell Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, Kremlin, YLE, Finland, Border Guard, Twitter, MTV, Union, Frontex, Friday, Reuters, Finance, Finns Party, Thomson Locations: HELSINKI, Russia, Helsinki, Moscow, United States, Finland, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Salla, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, East, Africa, Nuijamaa, London

A view of the border between Russia and Finland at the Nuijamaa border checkpoint in Lappeenranta, Finland on November 15, 2023. The four border crossings - at Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala in southeastern Finland - are normally the busiest points of travel between the two countries. Nearly 100 asylum seekers had entered Finland from Russia on Friday by midday, officials said. Finland shares a 1,340-km (833-mile) border with Russia that also serves as the EU's external border. Finland's ombudsman for non-discrimination said on Thursday Helsinki still had a duty under international treaties and EU law to allow asylum seekers to seek protection.

Persons: Helsinki, Matti Pitkaniitty, Pitkaniitty, Essi Lehto, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Gareth Jones Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, European Union, NATO, Kremlin, Helsinki, Thomson Locations: Russia, Finland, Lappeenranta, Finnish, HELSINKI, Vaalimaa, Russia's, Salla, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Moscow, Ukraine, United States

☆ A 17-year-old Ukrainian stuck in Russia received call-up papers to fight in the Russian army, his lawyer said
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

His status in Russia surged to the fore after his lawyer said he was told to join the Russian army. AdvertisementA 17-year-old Ukrainian who was taken from Ukraine to Russia during the war received a call-up to enlist in the Kremlin's forces, the BBC reported. AdvertisementAs he was living in Russia, Yermokhin was issued a call-up order to report on December 13 for a military draft in Moscow, Bobrovska told Ukrainian media on November 7. The announcement comes after Russia said Yermokhin wanted to stay in Russia, a claim Bobrovska has repeatedly denied. But Bobrovska told Ukrainian media that Yermokhin said he was intimidated into signing the statement.

Persons: Bohdan Yermokhin, Yermokhin, —, Kateryna, Bobrovska, Irina Rudnitskaya, Rudnitskaya, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Yermokhin's, — Bobrovska, Maria Lvova, Dmytro Lubinets, Lubinets, Belova, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, BBC, Russian, Children's, Human Rights, Associated Press, United Nations Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Mariupol, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow, Belarus

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