Finnish authorities are reluctant to estimate the exact number of undocumented asylum seekers who may be intending to illegally enter Finland from Russia.
"However, there is a significant number of third-country nationals on the Russian side of the border who want to enter Finland or Europe via Finland illegally," said Heikki Ahtiainen, the deputy commander of Southeast Finland's Border Guard.
On Sunday, a group of recently-arrived Syrian asylum seekers told Yle that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 people on the Russian side of the border waiting to cross into Finland.
The four men arrived in Finland last week and were detained by the border guard on suspicion of attempting to enter the country illegally. They said that there are many smugglers available on the instant messaging service Telegram willing to assist undocumented asylum seekers on their journey from Russia into Finland.
However, Ahtiainen noted that the men's figures cannot be regarded as reliable information.
"Their estimate is 2,000-3,000 people, but I won't comment on that in more detail. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that there will be more people arriving," he said.
Ahtiainen added that the border guard is constantly monitoring and assessing the situation at the eastern frontier, which has been closed to cross-border traffic since December.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) told tabloid Ilta-Sanomat at the weekend that, based on the information currently available, there are hundreds if not thousands of people waiting to cross into Finland.
The Finnish Immigration Service Migri also declined to comment on the exact number of potential asylum seekers waiting on the Russian side of the border.
The agency's director, Antti Jäppinen, noted however that the Joutseno reception centre in Lappeenranta — which now houses the group of four Syrian men — still has capacity.
"Of course, we are prepared for large numbers of arrivals, although the reported numbers of people waiting behind the eastern border should be treated with caution," Jäppinen said.
The border guard noted that the last few days, including the weekend, have been calm on the eastern border.
"Our preparations are at a good level. At the moment there are no indications that there have been any new illegal border crossings," Ahtiainen said.