Poking up through the snow drifts on the Finnish-Russian border lies a symbol of Moscow’s biggest provocation yet toward NATO’s newest member: a sprawling heap of broken bicycles.
The battered bikes are sold for hundreds of dollars on the Russian side to asylum seekers from as far away as Syria and Somalia.
They are then encouraged — sometimes forced, according to Finnish guards — to cross the border.
As Finns vote on Sunday for a new president, who will be responsible for foreign policy and act as commander in chief, Finland has become fixated on its 830-mile border, the longest with Russia of any NATO country.
How Finns handle the challenges there is critical not only for them, but also for their new allies on both sides of the Atlantic.
Persons:
—, ”, Ville
Organizations:
NATO
Locations:
Russian, Syria, Somalia, Finnish, Vyborg ., Finland, Russia