Finland prepared to deploy troops along Russian border to control refugee crisis
In reference to a Lännen Media publication, Kainuun Sanomat reported that Finnish authorities are prepared to deploy soldiers in joint force with the Russian Federation along the eastern border. This is due to the current influx of refugees into Finland. It was noted that as of right now there are officially 1500 guards protecting the border with Russia, which equates to approximately one border guard per kilometer.
“However, in practice, only a part of personnel is on duty there,” the Commander of Finland’s Southeast Border Guard District, Pasi Kostamovaara stated. Kostamovaara also noted that the existing situation is very serious. The Minister of Defense of Finland, Jussi Niinistö, stated that soldiers can be deployed along the border with Russia if there are insufficient resources available within the Border Service.