The Finnish government announced Thursday that Finland's eastern border will remain closed for at least two more months until 14 April.
For the North Karelia Border Guard, keeping the border closed means in practice that operations will continue as, at present.
According to Deputy Commander Samuli Murtonen, the border will continue to be monitored more intensively than before the closures were first announced late last autumn. Personnel from the EU border control agency Frontex will continue to assist in border control at least until the summer.
"We will see how the situation develops," said Murtonen.
What will happen when conditions improve in the spring?
"The risk is certainly higher and people are more likely to try to cross the land border illegally. This is something we are anticipating and preparing for."
What preparations are being made?
"In practice, preparation means refining tactics and approaches. We also go through how to act in different situations in advance if illegal border crossings occur."
How closely are activities on the Russian side of the border monitored?
"We are monitoring the situation closely. What, where and how, I will not go into that. We will be prepared in case something out of the ordinary occurs."
How carefully has the most challenging scenario been thought through?
"The most challenging situation cannot be directly defined, but it could be related to weather conditions in different seasons, thin ice in the spring or difficult terrain. Also, large number of individuals crossing the border would be a challenge on its own. We are prepared for different situations. We train and exercise personnel to deal with different situations."
What would you like to say to local people living near the border?
"We still need reports of anything out of the ordinary, for example unusual passers-by. That will help us. Local residents are active and report things like lights, noises and so on to the Border Guard."
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.