Finnish asylum seeker who aided border authorities faces deportation
Tuesday 16th June 2026 on 14:30 in
Finland
A Russian man known as Max, who provided assistance to Finnish border authorities as a confidential informant, may now be deported after Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court rejected his appeal.
The court’s decision, which is final, clears the way for his removal to Russia. Max had recorded meetings with Finnish Border Guard officials as proof of his cooperation, but the court did not accept the evidence.
According to an investigation by Yle’s MOT programme, Max was recruited by two Border Guard officers in late 2024. MOT verified that his account of assisting authorities was accurate. Meetings with his contacts continued for over six months, arranged via the encrypted messaging app Signal.
Authorities were particularly interested in information about asylum seekers near the Russian border, as the Interior Ministry prepared extensions to a controversial emergency law restricting asylum rights. The law was based on claims that Russia was using instrumentalised migration against Finland.
Max received a negative asylum decision in 2025 but only disclosed his informant work during his appeal. The administrative court doubted his claim, suspecting he fabricated it to avoid deportation. The Border Guard declined to comment on individual cases but stated that informant operations are confidential, even from other authorities.
Max, who has since reapplied for asylum, said he initially kept silent because his Border Guard contacts had forbidden him from speaking about the arrangement. Finnish law requires asylum seekers to disclose all relevant information immediately.
Pargol Miraftabi, a lawyer with the Refugee Advice Centre, told Yle that recruiting vulnerable asylum seekers as informants is problematic, as it may endanger them if their residence permits are ultimately denied. She added that deporting Max to Russia could violate Finland’s international obligations under the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face torture, persecution, or the death penalty.