Finland Eyes Reservists for Border Patrol Amid Security Concerns
Finland, a country that joined NATO a year ago after decades of neutrality, intends to change its recruitment rules to allow thousands of reservists to help patrol its border with Russia in the event of a sudden wave of immigrants, the government in Helsinki announced on Wednesday, reports Reuters.
Finns who have completed military service with the border forces could be called to patrol the Nordic country’s border with Russia in exceptional circumstances, the government stated in a legislative proposal.
Finland, which joined the NATO military alliance last April, has accused Moscow of using migration as a weapon against it, an assertion the Kremlin denies.
Finland closed its 1,340-kilometre border with Russia at the end of last year, amid an increasing number of arrivals from third countries like Syria and Somalia via Russia.
Approximately 1,300 asylum seekers crossed the border from Russia into Finland last year, compared to less than 40 this year, after the land crossing points were closed, according to Border Police data.
However, the Finnish government fears that the phenomenon it calls "a hybrid attack by Russia" could restart at any moment and is preparing legislation to address this threat. "Given the changing security situation, we must complement existing methods with new ways to maintain border security," said Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen.
Finland has a conscript army, which means military service is mandatory for men. Over 10,000 recruits have been trained by the Border Guard, while a quarter of them are employed border policemen, specified the government. The rest, approximately 7,500 soldiers, have pursued other civilian careers. According to existing legislation, they remain reservists who can be urgently called to service in case of a military threat to border security, but not for combating migration.
The proposal will be submitted to a vote in parliament, where the right-wing government holds a majority.
Additionally, the Finnish government has drafted a so-called "pushback" law, which would allow border police to reject asylum applicants at the Finland-Russia border without receiving their asylum requests.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
