Border station auction draws crowd as Finland sells bicycles from asylum seekers in Niirala

One of the nine border crossing stations along Finland’s eastern border opened temporarily on Sunday. In Niirala, North Karelia, the Customs Authority held an auction selling bicycles that had belonged to asylum seekers who arrived at the border last year. The event took place at the border station, typically inaccessible due to concrete barriers and barbed wire.

“There are so many bikes, so this was the most reasonable solution. We have 200 bicycles, and moving them would have been a significant task,” said Pekka Voutilainen, Customs’ on-duty supervisor. Most bicycles were Stels brand, manufactured in Russia. Some were so new that bubble wrap was still wrapped around the frames.

The auction attracted just over 100 visitors, who faced strict movement restrictions due to the ongoing closure of the Finnish-Russian border. Photography near the border control points, located less than 100 meters away, was heavily prohibited.

“I doubt this border will be crossed in my lifetime, but there’s no longing for it,” pondered a local during the auction. Bidders looked to acquire several nearly new folding bikes, with sales conducted in lots of three or four.

The cheapest bicycle lots sold for as little as five euros, while the most expensive exceeded one hundred euros. Joensuu resident Urpo Ojell noted the importance of the state not destroying the bikes but rather seeking revenue from them.

The Niirala auction garnered Customs over one thousand euros in sales, part of a series of auctions this year that have brought in over €30,000 to the state’s coffers. Following the auction, the Niirala border station was closed again, with access restricted to authorities only. All border crossing points between Finland and Russia remain closed amid hybrid influence operations involving a large influx of undocumented asylum seekers.