Some Russian soldiers bypass Finland’s eastern border fence

Individual soldiers are fleeing Russia for Finland and using remote routes to get around the eastern border fence, Yle reports. Suspected illegal crossings are increasingly taking place in areas without a fence.

Ten people suspected of crossing illegally have entered Finland from Russia this year in seven separate incidents. Four incidents occurred in sparsely populated parts of Ilomantsi and Tuupovaara, in Joensuu.

Colonel Matti Pitkäniitty of the Finnish Border Guard headquarters said the fence deters potential crossers in southeastern Finland. The barrier runs for 140 kilometres there, compared with just over 30 kilometres in North Karelia.

More crossers have military backgrounds and are experienced at moving through terrain and navigating, Pitkäniitty said. Many are fleeing recruitment to the front or military service in Russia. Various organisations in Russia help them travel west.

Some may have fought in the war in Ukraine and could have been involved in war crimes, Pitkäniitty said.

Although suspected crossings are increasingly occurring in remote, uninhabited areas, all those suspected of crossing illegally this year have been apprehended. The Border Guard has no information that anyone has evaded its monitoring. Those detained have not behaved threateningly, and Pitkäniitty said they posed no immediate danger to people living near the border.