Finland announced that it has indefinitely extended the closure of its border crossing with Russia.

In February, Helsinki had ordered the closure of the border until April 14, a measure which has now been extended until further notice.

The indefinite closure means that migrants will still not be able to apply for asylum at the border crossings.

In addition, the sea crossings on the island of Haapasaari, in the port of Nuijamaa and on the island of Santio will be closed to leisure shipping from April 15.

Finland wants to prevent the threat of targeted migration from Russia in the spring by closing the harbors to maritime traffic.

Finland, which borders Russia to the east over a distance of more than 1,300 kilometers, began gradually closing the frontier crossings in November.

The Finnish authorities accuse Moscow of deliberately bringing undocumented asylum seekers to the posts to cause problems for the EU and NATO country. The Kremlin denies this.