Latest news with #Finnish-Russian
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
German authorities conduct raid over suspected support for Russian militants in Donbas
On the morning of Tuesday 27 May, German prosecutors conducted a raid on a house in Brandenburg on suspicion of support for Russian militants in Ukraine's east. Source: German TV news channel n-tv, as reported by European Pravda Details: A spokesperson for the Karlsruhe Prosecutor's Office stated that one of the suspects is accused of organising the transport of goods for several years to the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts occupied by Russia. Law enforcement officials reported that the man is under investigation on suspicion of supporting a foreign terrorist organisation. The property searched is located in the Dahme-Spreewald district. The spokesperson stated that the suspect was not arrested. No information was provided about the specific types of goods supposedly transported. Background: Recently, Politico reported that a German tech company may have exported technology to Russia despite new European Union sanctions imposed over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. In early January 2025, it was also reported that Finland continues to record attempts to export sanctioned goods to Russia, despite having closed the Finnish-Russian border a year earlier. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Nato member Finland ‘closely' monitoring Russian military build-up near border
A Finnish Border Guard standing next to a new barrier fence on the Finnish-Russian border in Nuijamaa, Finland, on May 21. PHOTO: REUTERS HELSINKI - Finland is closely monitoring Russia's military activities near its eastern border after Finland's armed forces and international media reported a build-up, the defence minister told AFP on May 22. Finland, which dropped decades of military non-alignment to join Nato in 2023, has a 1,340km border with Russia. Satellite images published in the New York Times appear to show an expansion of Russian military infrastructure near the border. 'Russia is building more infrastructure to be able to bring in more troops after the war (in Ukraine) is over,' the Finnish Defence Forces told AFP. Together with its allies, Finland is 'closely monitoring and assessing Russia's activities and intentions', Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen told AFP in an email. He said Russia's moves 'to strengthen its armed forces have not come as a surprise to Finland'. Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland of repercussions since joining Nato after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 'We have excellent capabilities to observe Russian operations. As a member of the alliance, Finland holds a strong security position,' Mr Hakkanen said. He said Finland had a 'robust national defence' based on conscription and a large reserve force. 'Our entire society has invested broadly in preparedness for all types of disruptions and crises,' he added. Defence Forces deputy chief of staff for strategy, Major-General Sami Nurmi, told Finnish broadcaster Yle that Russia's build-up near the border was expected. 'That is consistent with what has been assessed. It is not a question of a mass construction effort,' he told Yle. He said the activity did not pose an immediate threat to Finland. The Nordic country has beefed up its military investments and preparedness since joining Nato. In April, it announced it would boost defence spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP by 2029 and launch a reform of its defence forces to tackle the security threat. Finland shut its border with Russia in December 2023 after the arrival of around 1,000 migrants without visas. Helsinki said the surge was orchestrated by Russia – a claim Moscow denied. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Finland completes first 35 km of fence on Russian border
A view of the new barrier fence on the Finnish-Russian border in Nuijamaa, Finland, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger A view of the new barrier fence on the Finnish-Russian border in Nuijamaa, Finland, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger A view of the new barrier fence on the Finnish-Russian border in Nuijamaa, Finland, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger A view of the new barrier fence on the Finnish-Russian border in Nuijamaa, Finland, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger A view of the new barrier fence on the Finnish-Russian border in Nuijamaa, Finland, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger NUIJAMAA, Finland - Finland has completed the first 35 km (22 miles) of a 4.5-metre (15-ft) high fence it is building on its closed eastern border with Russia to stop migrants from crossing via the wilderness, the Finnish Border Guard said on Wednesday. Finland began constructing the fence, which will eventually cover 200 km (124 miles) of the border's total 1,344 km (835 mile) length, last year in response to migration via Russia through the border in 2023, which it believes was deliberately orchestrated by Moscow. "The main purpose of the fence is to control a large mass of people if they are trying to enter from Russia to Finland," the deputy commander of Southeast Finland Border Guard District, Antti Virta, told Reuters. In Nuijamaa, near one of the closed border crossing points, the scene is tranquil, with just the sound of birdsong to be heard on both sides of the new fence on Wednesday. But Finland has faced criticism, and not just from Russia, over the border closure and fence construction. After decades of peaceful relations with Russia, Finland joined the NATO military alliance two years ago in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prompting Moscow to threaten Helsinki with retaliation. The same year - in 2023 - some 1,300 migrants from third countries such as Syria and Somalia arrived via Russia at the Finnish border to ask for asylum, until Finland closed all eight passenger crossing points to Russia indefinitely to put an end to the phenomenon. Russia has denied orchestrating the migrant flows. At the time, the Russian government said it deeply regretted Finland's decision to shut crossings on its border, saying it reflected Helsinki's adoption of an anti-Russian stance. Virtually no migrants arrived after Finland closed the border for passengers at the end of 2023, but the Border Guard defended the decision to build the fence. "The border barrier is absolutely necessary to maintain border security," Head of Operations Samuel Siljanen said. "From the Border Guard's perspective, it improves our ability to perform border surveillance, to act if there's some kind of disruption at the border or a border incident," he said, adding that the fence was needed to combat orchestrated migration. The European Court of Human Rights has asked Finland to justify the indefinite closure of the border. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, last year warned that Finland's temporary restrictions on asylum applications "would violate international obligations, including the prohibition of refoulement and collective expulsion". The fence consists of 3.5-metre high metal railings topped with a metre-high roll of barbed wire and it is equipped with cameras, sensors, loudspeakers and lights. It will be completed by the end of 2026, the Border Guard said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Finland completes first 35 km of fence on Russian border
A view of the new barrier fence on the Finnish-Russian border in Nuijamaa, Finland, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger NUIJAMAA, Finland (Reuters) -Finland has completed the first 35 km (22 miles) of a 4.5-metre (15-ft) high fence it is building on its closed eastern border with Russia to stop migrants from crossing via the wilderness, the Finnish Border Guard said on Wednesday. Finland began constructing the fence, which will eventually cover 200 km (124 miles) of the border's total 1,344 km (835 mile) length, last year in response to migration via Russia through the border in 2023, which it believes was deliberately orchestrated by Moscow. "The main purpose of the fence is to control a large mass of people if they are trying to enter from Russia to Finland," the deputy commander of Southeast Finland Border Guard District, Antti Virta, told Reuters. In Nuijamaa, near one of the closed border crossing points, the scene is tranquil, with just the sound of birdsong to be heard on both sides of the new fence on Wednesday. But Finland has faced criticism, and not just from Russia, over the border closure and fence construction. After decades of peaceful relations with Russia, Finland joined the NATO military alliance two years ago in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prompting Moscow to threaten Helsinki with retaliation. The same year - in 2023 - some 1,300 migrants from third countries such as Syria and Somalia arrived via Russia at the Finnish border to ask for asylum, until Finland closed all eight passenger crossing points to Russia indefinitely to put an end to the phenomenon. Russia has denied orchestrating the migrant flows. At the time, the Russian government said it deeply regretted Finland's decision to shut crossings on its border, saying it reflected Helsinki's adoption of an anti-Russian stance. Virtually no migrants arrived after Finland closed the border for passengers at the end of 2023, but the Border Guard defended the decision to build the fence. "The border barrier is absolutely necessary to maintain border security," Head of Operations Samuel Siljanen said. "From the Border Guard's perspective, it improves our ability to perform border surveillance, to act if there's some kind of disruption at the border or a border incident," he said, adding that the fence was needed to combat orchestrated migration. The European Court of Human Rights has asked Finland to justify the indefinite closure of the border. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, last year warned that Finland's temporary restrictions on asylum applications "would violate international obligations, including the prohibition of refoulement and collective expulsion". The fence consists of 3.5-metre high metal railings topped with a metre-high roll of barbed wire and it is equipped with cameras, sensors, loudspeakers and lights. It will be completed by the end of 2026, the Border Guard said. (Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Nuijamaa, FinlandEditing by Frances Kerry)
