Limits | A “big spike” in the number of Ukrainians seeking asylum at the eastern border

War and Russians fleeing military service to Finland and Finland’s ban on tourist visas have been a big topic of conversation, but at the same time, more Ukrainians seeking asylum have quietly crossed the eastern border than before.

“A big spike has been seen at the eastern border in the number of Ukrainians who have applied for temporary protection,” says the head of international cooperation Matti Pitkäniitty From the Border Guard.

Russia announced a move to the country on September 21, and since then the number of Ukrainians seeking refuge on the eastern border has increased.

“The number of visitors increased so much that we have established a separate registration point in Joutseno together with the police and immigration authorities,” says Pitkäniitty.

The liveliest it was ten days after the initiative was launched, when there were a total of 112 asylum seekers. On other days, a few dozen Ukrainians seeking asylum have come across the eastern border. The numbers are not large if you compare them to the total number of people who fled from Ukraine to Finland.

According to Monday’s statistics of the Finnish Immigration Service, more than 41,000 Ukrainians have already applied for temporary protection in Finland.

“However, what is noteworthy here is that the main stream of refugees from Ukraine has previously arrived in the country through the internal border, i.e. Estonia and Poland,” says Pitkäniitty.

Long meadow thinks that the spike in Ukrainian arrivals can be explained by the changed situation in Russian society.

“The war used to be encapsulated in Russia under the term special operations, but through mobilization, society clearly became involved in the war. With that, the Ukrainians have also decided to consider leaving. Of course, it is also noteworthy that Russia let them go,” says Pitkäniitty.

Temporary protection can be granted to Ukrainian citizens who cannot return to Ukraine due to the Russian invasion. In the early stages of the attack in March, applications for temporary protection were submitted up to 1,200 per day.