UK names individuals accused of destabilising Finland through instrumentalised migration

The British government has imposed sanctions on two men alleged to have organised the transport of asylum seekers to Finland’s eastern border as part of a Russian-backed operation to destabilise the country, Yle reports.

Sergei Merzljakov and Abid Kalid Sharif Abid were added to the UK sanctions list on Tuesday for their roles in what Britain describes as a “Russian state-supported group” facilitating migration from countries including Iraq, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen via Russia to Finland. The operation aimed to undermine Finland’s social stability and security, according to the UK sanctions decision.

Merzljakov, a Russian national, was convicted in March by a Russian court and sentenced to two years in prison for organising illegal migration. His business partner, Sharif Abid—who holds Russian, Syrian, and Iraqi citizenship—acted as an interpreter and intermediary with Arabic-speaking migrants.

Both men actively promoted their services on social media platforms, including Telegram, YouTube, and Facebook, advertising work and study opportunities in Belarus, Russia, and Poland while directing migrants toward Finland. Asylum seekers were required to pay for the smuggling services.

Finland closed its entire eastern border in November 2023, citing intelligence indicating that Russia was deliberately channelling asylum seekers to the border to create unrest—a move widely seen as retaliation for Finland’s NATO membership. The UK sanctions freeze any assets the men may hold in Britain and ban them from travel to the country, while Western banks are expected to avoid transactions with them. They have not yet been added to the EU sanctions list.

British authorities allege the pair also facilitated the movement of migrants from Bangladesh, India, and Iraq to Ukraine, where they were reportedly forced to fight for the Russian military. The investigative outlet Insider previously reported on the operation.

Merzljakov had been operating in the migration business since at least 2019, long before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine or the escalation at Finland’s border.