The Finnish government announced that the border crossing points on its land border with Russia would remain shut until February 11, citing security concerns.

"Based on information gathered by the authorities, it is very likely that Russia's hybrid influence activities will resume and expand as we saw earlier," Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen said at a news conference in Helsinki on Thursday, January 11.

Authorities believe that Russia's campaign of manipulating undocumented migrants is continuing. The government emphasized that "the Russian authorities or other actors have been facilitating instrumentalized migration," labeling it a "serious threat to national security and public order in Finland," as reported by AFP.

Rantanen added, "There are people in nearby areas waiting for the border to open."

Also read: Concerns raised over migrant rights at Finland-Russia border

Migrants from Middle East, Africa seek asylum in Finland

Finland believes that Moscow may be attempting to undermine its security by sending undocumented migrants across the border, possibly in retaliation for its NATO alliance accession in April of the previous year. Russia denies this claim, although after Finland's NATO membership, Moscow had warned of "countermeasures."

In November, Finland initially closed four of its eight border crossings on its 1,340-kilometer land border with Russia, eventually closing the remaining four by the end of the month. The closure was prompted by a notable increase in the number of migrants without valid documents or visas -- 1,300 had crossed since September, representing a significant rise compared to previous months.

The migrants who arrived were mainly from the Middle East and Africa -- particularly from Syria, Somalia and Yemen -- and the vast majority of them have sought asylum in Finland, reports AP. They are currently being kept at migrant reception centers across the country while waiting for a decision from the authorities, reports the news agency.

In reaction to the closure of checkpoints in December, the Council of Europe had raised concerns about a potential hindrance to the right to asylum. The Council's Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic said the decision to close the border entirely "may impact notably on the right to seek asylum, as well as the principle of non-refoulement and prohibition of collective expulsion."

Similarly, the Finnish Non-Discrimination Ombudsman had said that the decision to close border crossing points "seriously jeopardizes the right to seek asylum."

Finland, with a population of 5.6 million people, has an external EU border in the north, and makes up a significant part of NATO's northeastern flank.

With AFP, AP

Also read: Stuck at the Russian-Finnish border, 'I feel I will die here in the cold'