Several media outlets reported yesterday (21 September) on the partial mobilisation announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president claims that mobilisation measures will begin on the same day. The Russian state news agency Tass also reports that Russia is defending its territories and lands which the “West wishes to destroy”. Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claims that Russia is fighting “not so much against Ukraine, but against the West”.
“At present, the only direct access to Europe from Russia is through Finland, because the Baltic states and Poland closed their borders to Russians. At the same time, the Finnish government has been unable to make decisions and has not been prepared to close the eastern border,” accuses Finnish Member of Parliament Sanna Antikainen (Sanna Antikainen).
Prime Minister Sanna Marin, as usual, has avoided responsibility on this issue as well. First, she hid behind the EU, and then behind the backs of officials. S. Marin had no problems isolating certain regions from the rest of the country due to the coronavirus, but she is leaving Finland's eastern border open, even if a neighbour were to declare war on the West, to which, as is known, Finland belongs.
A tourist visa is a useful tool
In the 2000s, Russia has carried out several assassinations in Europe using tourist visas. Helsingin Sanomat wrote (on 28 August) that Russia is suspected of having used assassins with tourist visas in at least three murders or attempted murders during the 2000s – in other words, in all known assassinations.
“For example, those high-ranking Russian intelligence officers who poisoned former KGB agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter travelled around Britain with tourist visas. The Helsingin Sanomat article also mentions that there is no complete information, as only those operations where Russia has been caught are known. There is a suspicion that the number of successful operations is many times higher and that tourist visas seem to have been a useful tool in the work of assassin groups. This alone is sufficient reason to believe that in a situation where Russia considers itself to be fighting against the West, Russians should not be granted access to the Schengen area without a justified reason,” emphasises S. Antikainen.
Finland must prevent entry
A 2021 bulletin on the Supo website describes Russia's influence in Finland. It explains that at the extreme end of the spectrum of tools of influence are violent acts, which Russian intelligence services have also been willing to carry out in EU countries over the last ten years.
For example, Supo reports on the activities of the Russian military intelligence service in destroying weapons depots in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, as well as on murders and attempted murders carried out by Russian security and intelligence services in Germany and the United Kingdom.
A 2016 report by researcher Arto Alajoutsijärvi shows how Russia’s most secretive, influential, and fearsome intelligence agency, the GRU, has gained an increasingly important role in Russia’s security policy and armed forces. The report describes the GRU’s modus operandi, which is traditional non-linear warfare, tasked with carrying out covert operations and sabotage deep within the enemy’s backyard.
In the same report and an interview with Yle, A. Alajoutsijärvi mentions that there could currently be sabotage agents in Finland who are “inactive” in peacetime but activate in a crisis situation. Finland must take the necessary measures to prevent such actors from entering the country, insists S. Antikainen.
Impossible to check those entering
S. Antikainen points out that publicly available sources provide a wealth of information about the activities and methods of Russian intelligence services.
“It is clear they are already in our country, but at present, due to Finland’s open borders, Russia has been able to and continues to smuggle them in. If Russia feels it is at war with the West, including us, it is not hard to conclude that it will certainly not miss the opportunities offered by Finland’s open eastern border.”
It is impossible to fully check the origins and motives of people from Russia at the border, even if our border guards are doing thorough work. By using the open border, Russia can not only pour its secret intelligence and operational personnel into our country but also reach the rest of Europe through our country. Therefore, in the worst-case scenario, Finland could be complicit in inaction if Russian intelligence services were to carry out an operation or attack in Europe.
Threat to national security
S. Antikainen believes that the issue is what the inaction of today could do to our international relations in such a situation.
“Of course, it would be just as bad if an attack took place in Finland. The government’s inaction on the eastern border issue currently threatens national security. If the government does not correct its policy, questions will arise as to why this is happening. Does the Russian government's actions or pressure have any influence on the government’s policy and actions, and if so, who is doing it and through which parties?”