Wilderness crossings and military background

The Finnish Border Guard has reported that an increasing number of individuals attempting to cross illegally from Russia into Finland possess military backgrounds. Since the beginning of 2026, authorities have registered ten suspects across seven separate unauthorized crossing cases. Four of these incidents occurred in remote, sparsely populated areas of North Karelia near Ilomantsi and Tuupovaara in the Joensuu district. Border officials noted that the suspects often travel through rugged, dense forests that lack physical barriers, utilizing wilderness navigation skills to bypass guarded checkpoints. In several instances, individuals crossed the frontier in small groups rather than alone.

Colonel Matti Pitkäniitty of the Border Guard Headquarters described the profile of the suspects entering Finnish territory.

“More and more of those who cross the border illegally have military experience, so they are experts in driving on rough terrain and orientation.”

Motivations and evasion methods

Finnish authorities stated that many of the intercepted men appear to be fleeing Russia to avoid mandatory military conscription or recruitment for the war in Ukraine. According to Finnish border officials, various organizations operating inside Russia assist these individuals with logistics, guidance, and travel toward the West, helping them locate vulnerable border points. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that some crossers actively participated in combat operations along the Ukrainian frontline and could face scrutiny regarding war crimes. Despite the nature of the border breaches, officials confirmed that the intercepted men did not act aggressively during apprehension, and no immediate threat was posed to local residents in border communities.

Colonel Pitkäniitty emphasized that border surveillance systems had detected every known breach attempt.

“We are not aware of anyone having slipped through our surveillance this year.”

Border barrier coverage and diverted routes

The movement of crossers toward difficult northern terrain follows the completion of Finland's permanent border barrier. In September 2026, Finnish authorities completed construction on a 3.5-meter-high metal fence topped with barbed wire, covering approximately 200 kilometers of the 1,300-kilometer frontier with Russia. The physical barrier covers around 15% of the total land border, which remains the longest shared frontier between Russia and any European Union or NATO member state. The barrier concentrated 140 kilometers of fencing in southeastern Finland to secure high-traffic routes from St. Petersburg, including crossings around Imatra and Lappeenranta, while only about 30 kilometers of fencing was installed in North Karelia.

Southeast Finland140

North Karelia30

Southeast Finland

140 km

North Karelia

30 km

Data from the article text

Legislative measures and border closure

The construction project originally began in 2024 and concluded on schedule, prompting unauthorized transit to shift toward the remaining unfenced gaps in eastern Finland. In response to ongoing frontier challenges, the Finnish government has proposed extending the validity of the Border Security Act by two years. The legislation provides Finnish authorities with specialized legal mechanisms to counter instrumentalized migration, defined as the deliberate movement of asylum seekers orchestrated as a hybrid warfare tactic. Finland previously closed its entire eastern land border in December 2023 after roughly 1,000 migrants from third countries arrived at crossing stations within a matter of months, some using bicycles during winter conditions.