Asylum seekers 'missing' after crossing Russia border to Finland

FILE PHOTO: Barriers are placed at the closed Vaalimaa border check point between Finland and Russia in Virolahti, Finland, January 14, 2024. Finland, which shut all eight checkpoints along its eastern frontier with Russia again in December 2023 amid suspicions that Russian authorities were deliberately funneling undocumented asylum seekers to Finnish crossings, decided on January 11 that the border with Russia will remain closed until February 11. Lehtikuva/Lauri Heino/via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reuters) -Some 160 people who applied for asylum at Finland's eastern border last year have since disappeared, amid a sudden surge of asylum seekers arriving via Russia, Finland's immigration authority said.

Finland closed its eastern border with Russia late last year amidst a growing number of arrivals from countries including Syria and Somalia. It accused Moscow of funnelling migrants to the border, a claim the Kremlin has denied.