Traffic at Finland’s border with Russia increased overnight, Finnish border controls said on Thursday, noting that the situation was being handled.
Finland is following the situation closely following Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilisation in Russia for the war in Ukraine, said Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen on Twitter Wednesday.
As some Russian men made to leave Russia on Thursday following Putin’s announcement, border traffic has increased in Finland as well as Georgia, while air ticket prices from Moscow have increased, as per reports.
Finland has remained one of the few border crossings into Europe available to Russians following several EU nations shut their borders and air space due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Putin has made an announcement on Wednesday that the first Russian mobilisation since World War II and supported plans to annex parts of eastern Ukraine in sham elections. Moreover, he threatened to use nuclear weapons in Russia’s defence.
Later on, the Defence Minister of Russia, Shoigu has made a confirmation about the mobilisation would involve 300,000 reservist troops.
Yet Russia is likely to struggle with logistical issues with an increased personnel of 300,000, which probably will not be ready for combat for months, according to the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Wednesday.
The MoD added that Putin is running “considerable political risk” as even the limited mobilisation will be “highly unpopular” with parts of the Russian population.
On Wednesday, Russian police detained over 1,300 people protesting against mobilisation.
Despite Russia’s partial mobilisation, there will not be a sudden influx of Russian troops to shift the tide of war, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The institute stressed that Ukraine will still have the opportunity to liberate more of its occupied territory.