Human traffickers told Yle that they have made deals with Russian border authorities to help migrants without visas pass into Finland.
Two human traffickers told Yle by phone that they cooperated closely with Russian authorities when helping migrants lacking visas cross into Finland.
On Thursday Finland announced it was closing four crossing points on its south-eastern border in response to Russian officials' decision to allow undocumented asylum seekers to cross in growing numbers.
Russia's border guard works under the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
The smugglers who spoke to Yle referred to Russian border authorities as "police."
"Yes, we have an agreement with the police," one trafficker told Yle.
Both of the interviewed smugglers described the transport process similarly.
"We take them [the asylum seeker] from St. Petersburg to the border. The police handle the visa process, exit from the country and passport stamping," the interviewee told Yle over the phone.
For this story, Yle employed unconventional information gathering methods. The journalist posed as someone looking to help their brother in Russia get to Finland quickly.
The discussions were conducted in Arabic.
The traffickers told Yle that they work with Russian border authorities in exchange for payment. Yle has, however, not been able to independently verify these claims.
The smugglers alleged that only some of them have a direct line to Russian border authorities. Traffickers lacking this connection have to pay bribes at the border, the smugglers said.
"The bribe is between 1,000 and 2,000 [US] dollars. But if the trafficker is inexperienced, it can lead to a situation where they may be beaten up or mistreated in other ways," the smuggler said.
Yle has found several social media videos of migrants saying they plan to cross into Finland.
In one Telegram message a young man thanks his smuggler for organising the trip to the Finnish border.
"We made it to Finland safely on Tuesday. This is your group, thanks a lot," he said.
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