Refugees fleeing Russia brave 14 F freeze to cross NATO border on cycles

Footage on social media has gone viral of a bunch of asylum seekers making an attempt to cross on bicycles in freezing temperatures from Russia’s northernmost border with NATO’s latest member, Finland.

The clip posted on X (previously Twitter) on Saturday reveals a line of the immigrants on the solely crossing between the international locations. It got here a day after Helsinki closed all however considered one of its frontiers with its neighbor Russia, which Finland has accused of stoking an immigrant disaster.

This month, the Finnish introduced they’d shut 4 of its eight highway border crossings with Russia. Finland accused the Russians of pushing asylum seekers from international locations like Yemen and Syria to the frontier. This was in revenge for Helsinki’s accession to NATO in April and elevated army cooperation with the U.S. Russia has denied the accusations and mentioned it was able to work with Helsinki to succeed in an settlement on the border concern. Newsweek has contacted the Russian International Affairs Ministry for remark.

The restrictions had been tightened farther from Friday, and all borders had been closed besides the northernmost Raja-Jooseppi crossing. Finland mentioned it will nonetheless adhere to abide by its obligations to permit asylum seekers to hunt safety beneath worldwide treaties and EU legislation.

“In the present day it is –10 C (14 F) asylum seekers have arrived from Russia,” posted the account of Russian-language account Raspad and Neuvazhenia, subsequent to the video of migrants on the Raja-Jooseppi crossing, which as of Monday had acquired greater than 236,000 views.

Whereas the video reveals a number of dozen asylum seekers on bikes ready within the snow, Finnish information outlet Raja mentioned that three males from Syria and Afghanistan had been allowed to cross the border, which is open day by day between 10 a.m. and a pair of p.m.

One of many males, Moayad Salami, instructed the Finnish outlet YLE that the path to the EU via Russia is actively marketed on social networks. He mentioned that Russian authorities had helped transport them to the border.

After arriving in St. Petersburg, Salami was instructed by the smuggler who dealt with his journey that it had been organized by the Russian army. The group was pushed to the border, and given bikes, which they had been instructed to experience to the frontier.

“The Russians instructed the brand new arrivals that you’ve the proper to use for asylum, so a minimum of storm the border,” mentioned Salami.

Final week, Mikko Kinnunen, ambassador, strategic communication, at Finland’s Ministry for International Affairs, instructed Newsweek that Russia was weaponizing migrants “beneath the brink of warfare or beneath NATO’s Article 5,” which necessitated a collective response amongst alliance members.

Russia had the purpose “of splitting Western societies and inflicting issues, which could make us rethink our assist to Ukraine,” Kinnunen added.