The Finnish Prime Minister has said that the country will close all but its northernmost border crossing with Russia, following a surge in migrants which Finland claims Russia is intentionally pushing to the border.
Since the beginning of August, around 700 asylum seekers have entered Finland without a visa over its eastern border.
"The government has today decided to close more border posts. Only Raja-Jooseppi station will remain open," Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a press conference.
After seeing a surge in migrants seeking asylum on its eastern border in November, Finland last week shut half of its eight crossings to Russia.
"Unfortunately, these measures have not been able to stop this phenomenon," Mr Orpo said.
The government said that "it is clear that foreign authorities and other actors have played a role in facilitating the entry of persons crossing the border into Finland."
"The situation also involves international crime," the government said in a statement.
Earlier in October, the Finnish border guard sounded the alarm about a change in Russia's policy, as it began allowing migrants without proper documentation to cross the border.
"This is a systematic and organised action by the Russian authorities," Mr Orpo said.
He called the "instrumentalisation of migration" an attempt to "influence the internal situation and border security in Finland and the EU".
Finland's interior ministry said that the influx of migrants from Russia "poses a serious threat to national security and public order".
"We do not accept this kind of action," Mr Orpo said.
Border crossings will be closed starting Friday and will initially remain closed until 23 December.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has rejected allegations that Russia is deliberately pushing migrants to the Finnish border.
"Finnish authorities are beginning to make clumsy excuses, warming up Russophobic sentiments," she said in a statement.
Finland's relationship with its eastern neighbour soured following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prompting Finland to accede to the US-led NATO alliance in April.
It had already passed laws to strengthen security on the Russian border last year, fearing Russia's retaliation to its membership would come in the form of orchestrated migration.
The new laws were crafted to enable blocking the 1,340km frontier and make it possible for the government to direct asylum applications to just one or several border crossings, such as an airport in exceptional circumstances.
Finland has asked the EU's border Agency Frontex for help in managing the situation, EU commissioner Ylva Johansson said in a speech on Monday.
"Finland has now requested additional operational support from Frontex of up to 60 standing corps officers in the coming weeks," she said.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen confirmed observations by Finnish border guards and said Finnish decision makers had additional evidence that the Russian border service was transporting the migrants to the border but declined to reveal her sources.
She noted that temperatures in the north were currently dropping to -20C, making the crossings perilous if migrants did not have sufficient clothing.
"It is even dangerous and life threatening to use such means that Russia is now using," she said.
Ms Valtonen said Finland had tried discussing the matter with Russia but Moscow had so far declined to engage in dialogue.
Yesterday, 51 migrants arrived from Russia to apply for asylum at the Salla border crossing and at least 11 at Vartius in northern Finland, the Border Guard said.
Estonian accusations
Estonia has also accused Russia of being involved in "a hybrid-attack operation" to bring migrants to its border, aiming to undermine security and unsettle the Baltic state's population.
A total of 75 migrants, largely from Somalia and Syria, have attempted to enter Estonia from Russia through the Narva crossing point since Thursday, Estonia's public broadcaster ERR reported.
None have asked for an asylum and all were turned back, the interior ministry said.
Estonia has made preparations to close border crossings if "the migration pressure from Russia escalates", and to deal with migrants if they try to enter outside official crossings, Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets told Reuters through a spokesperson.
"Unfortunately, there are many signs that Russian border officials and possibly other agencies are involved", said the minister.
"Quite frankly, (the) ongoing migration pressure on Europe's eastern border is a hybrid attack operation", he added.
Russian officials were not immediately available to comment.
