The Finnish government will extend its closure of the crossing points on its border with Russia, which had been set to end on Jan. 15, daily Iltalehti reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed government sources.
The Finnish interior ministry, which is in charge of border security, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Finland late last year shut the Russian border to stop a growing number of asylum seekers from entering the Nordic country, and said Moscow had orchestrated the inflow of people, a charge the Kremlin denies.
Some 900 asylum seekers from nations such as Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen entered Finland from Russia in November, an increase from less than one per day previously, according to the Border Guard.
(Reuters)