In response to concerns over “instrumentalized migration” from Russia, Finland is set to introduce a new law aimed at limiting asylum applications at its borders. The legislation, temporary in nature, will address the recent surge in asylum seekers, a situation Helsinki attributes to deliberate actions by taken by Moscow, going as far as accusing the Kremlin of a “hybrid attack” by facilitating migrant crossings into Finland.
For the law to be adopted, a five-sixths majority vote in Parliament is required. Additionally, a consultation period will take place until March 25, after which the law is aimed to be enacted swiftly.
The claim that states associated with the Kremlin have used migration as a strategic tool is not a recent development. In 2022, Poland completed the construction of a 186-km wall along its border with Belarus amid accusation from the EU that Belarus was waging “hybrid warfare” by pushing migrants to its border.
