The Russian news agency TASS reported today, Friday, that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Finland is making a "big mistake" by choosing to confront Russia. TASS quoted Peskov saying: "One can only express deep regret over the behavior of the Finnish authorities on the path of destroying bilateral relations." He added: "Russia has never threatened Finland in modern history, and we had no reason for any confrontation. Now they have chosen this path. In our view, this is a big mistake."
The Finnish Border Guard announced today that it will install barriers at border crossings with Russia, which it intends to close at midnight local time (22:00 GMT). The Finnish government decided on Thursday to close four of its nine border crossings with Russia in response to asylum seekers entering the Scandinavian country via its eastern border. The arrival of more than 200 asylum seekers in Finland this week led Finnish leaders to accuse Russia of transporting individuals to the border, which Russia has denied.
