The authorities of the Republic of Karelia have established temporary accommodation centers at the border with Finland, as announced by the local government on the evening of November 19.
Temporary accommodation points, equipped with heating and food, were set up in response to queues in the Karelian border town of Kostomuksha. The stations were deployed by the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Residents of Kostomuksha shared on social media that migrants have begun purchasing bicycles from them to cross the border. Some locals expressed sympathy for people freezing in the cold, while others wrote that they were “afraid to go outside”.
The authorities stated that the police are “maintaining order in the town as usual”.
Queues at the exit from Karelia appeared after Finland closed the majority of land border crossings. The country’s authorities motivated their decision by the influx of illegal migrants and those seeking asylum. Primarily, individuals from Africa and the Middle East attempted to enter Finland through Russia.
