Russia is playing dirty at the border as temperatures drop to -7.6 degrees Fahrenheit

A band of 35 migrants arrived on bicycles at the Finnish-Russian border near the Salla town this past Monday, according to reports from the Norwegian portal The Barents Observer. Eastern Lapland is currently freezing, with temperatures touching -7.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The Finnish Border Guard, in a terse statement, mentioned that operations on the migrant cyclists are underway and that "the situation is being examined." The foreigners who reached the checkpoint in Salla have been identified as residents from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

The entity responsible for transporting these asylum-seeking individuals to the border from the Russian side hasn't yet been determined. However, it's evident that the Border Guard, accountable to the Federal Security Service of Russia, holds comprehensive control over the border zone's traffic. Finland's Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, indicated organized actions by Moscow in his statement to the media on Monday.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland, as a new member of NATO, has observed a significant upsurge in the number of foreigners applying for asylum recently. On Sunday, a worrying scenario unfolded at the Vartius Finnish border crossing. The checkpoint commander, Jouko Kinnunen, informed Finnish media that Russian authorities guided people towards the border zone before securely locking the gates behind them, reports The Barents Observer.

Helsinki made the call to close four crossways in southeastern Finland, as reported by the Associated Press on Monday. Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, conceded that further action is under contemplation. As reported by the American agency, the head of the Finnish government didn't negate the possibility of closing even more border crossings along the Finnish-Russian border that extends a total of 833 miles.