BERLIN (Reuters) – The number of Russians entering the EU has jumped following a partial mobilisation ordered by Moscow, and illegal crossings are likely to increase should Russia decide to close the border for potential conscripts, EU border agency Frontex said on Tuesday.
“Over the past week, nearly 66,000 Russian citizens entered the EU, more than 30% compared to the preceding week. Most of them arrived to Finland and Estonia,” Frontex said in a statement.
Over the last four days alone, 30,000 Russian citizens arrived in Finland, according to the statement.
“Frontex estimates that illegal border crossings are likely to increase if the Russian Federation decides to close the border for potential conscripts,” the agency said.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Bart Meijer; editing by Foo Yun Chee)
