Finland has closed all its border crossings with Russia, and now Poland has offered to help monitor these crossings. This move has not been well received by the Kremlin leadership, as reported by Reuters.
"Any decision by Finland and Poland to allow a concentration of troops on the border with Russia will be viewed by Moscow as a threat," stated Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The head of Poland's national security service, Jacek Siewiera, wrote on X Tuesday that Poland would send military advisors to its NATO ally Finland in response to an official request. "A team of military advisors will share their knowledge on border security," he wrote.
The Kremlin has now reacted to the prospect of more soldiers on the border. "The Finns and Poles must be aware that an increase in the concentration of military units on our border will pose a threat to us. This is an absolutely unnecessary measure to ensure border security, as there is no threat there," said Dmitry Peskov.
The border between Russia and Finland will be closed to all traffic except freight until December 13. This measure comes after several hundred asylum seekers in recent weeks have arrived at the Finnish-Russian border from the east. Data earlier this month showed that migrants from various countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia are appearing at the Finnish border.
Finnish authorities accuse Russia of helping migrants to the border, which Russia denies. The Finnish government has described it as a revenge action and an attempt at a hybrid attack from the Russian side.
Russia was angered when Finland became a member of NATO in April. Russia's war in Ukraine is the reason Finland sought membership in the defense alliance.
