President of Finland ratifies new law on the protection of the border with Russia

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The President of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, has ratified this Friday the legislative reform approved on Thursday by the Parliament to increase border protection against a possible threat from Russia.

The Finnish Interior Ministry has confirmed that Niinisto has signed the Border Guard and Preparedness Acts in a bid to bolster the country’s defense in case of retaliation by Russia for seeking to join NATO.

The measures in question will come into force from July 15 and will allow security forces to limit traffic in the border area in case of emergency, among other issues, which would prevent asylum seekers from entering the country, according to reports in the daily ‘Helsingin Sanomat’.

Finnish authorities fear that the Russian government will implement “hybrid” measures at the border by allowing migrants and asylum seekers to pass through as happened in 2021 in Belarus and Poland.