ISW: Russian authorities trying to mobilise illegal migrants to fight in Ukraine

Russian officials are reportedly attempting to funnel migrants who have ended up in Russia due to Russia’s failed hybrid war tactics on the Russian-Finnish border into ongoing force generation efforts. 

The officials are attempting to recruit migrants from the Middle East and Africa whom Russian authorities detained en masse along the Russian-Finnish border in mid-November following the closure of Russian-Finnish border crossings, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russian officials are reportedly offering to stay deportations for these migrants if the migrants fight in Ukraine. One migrant reportedly stated that Russian officials immediately transferred migrants who signed military contracts to the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Russia artificially created a migrant crisis on the Finnish border as a hybrid warfare tactic meant to destabilise NATO and the EU. Still, the Finnish response quickly caused the effort to fail.

Finland has started blocking entry from the territory of Russia due to the influx of illegal migrants. Thus, the Finnish Border Guard Service banned the entry of people riding bicycles through checkpoints on the border with the Russian Federation.

Earlier Finnish border guards had to use tear gas when emigrants tried to illegally enter the camps from Russia.

Four checkpoints on the border between Finland and Russia have been closed since 18 November. The Finnish government recently decided to temporarily close all border crossings on the border with Russia.

Later it was reported that Finland closed the entire border with Russia and reinforced it with double fences. At the moment, only goods trains are running there.