Finland closes last crossing point with Russia

Deputy Commander of the Lapland Border Guard, lieutenant colonel Ville Ahtiainen at the Raja-Jooseppi international border crossing station (Otto Ponto/Lehtikuva via AP)

Finland closed its final remaining border crossing with Russia on Wednesday after the government decided to seal the entire border with its eastern neighbour amid rising political tensions.

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 destabilise the Nordic country following its entry into Nato.