Almost 7,700 Russians arrived in Finland on Friday, which is 100% more than a week ago
NUMBER The number of Russians arriving in Finland has increased at the border crossing points on the eastern border after the partial mobilization announced by the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Matti PitkäniittyDirector of International Cooperation of the Border Guard on Saturday told According to YLE, almost 7,700 Russian citizens arrived in Finland on Friday, which is more than double the increase from Friday, September 16.
“The number was 3,500 a week ago,” he said.
At the weekend, the number of border crossings can rise to 15,000–20,000, he estimates interview for STT. Most of the crossings, he reminded, are by travelers using legal channels and legal documents to cross the border.
Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday reported that the number of border crossings was higher on both Thursday and Friday than on average at border crossings on Saturday, the busiest day of the week.
Pitkäniitty told the newspaper that traffic across the border started to increase immediately after the mobilization announcement. However, the increase may not be entirely due to persons fleeing the country to avoid being called up.
“The announcement brought the view that Russia is at war to every Russian. Some people decided it was the last straw.
He estimates that Russians who have the opportunity to leave the country are currently trying to put a distance between themselves and their homeland and monitor the development of the situation from a safe distance.
He added that since August, the number of people crossing the border into Finland has crossed into Russia. However, the gap remained quite modest until last week.
“When looking at the numbers, you should understand the mechanics of the Schengen area,” he reminded. “Even if a person arrives in the Schengen area in Finland, he can leave it somewhere else.”
Aleksi Teivainen – HT