A teenager who crossed Finland's border into Russia last week is the son of Ukrainian refugees, according to a report by Russian news website Fontanka.
When contacted by Yle, Jussi Honkanen, head of investigation at the Southeastern Finland Police, declined to comment on the information reported by Russian media or on the status of the child's possible return to Finland.
"Priority number one is to get the boy back as quickly as possible," he said.
It was reported that the boy crossed the border illegally last Friday in the Karhusuo area near Imatra. The Southeast Finland Border Guard detected the border crossing.
Russian authorities apprehended the child, and he is believed to still be in Russia.
Teen crossed the border alone
According to Fontanka, the Ukrainian boy is reportedly 13 years old and he was detained near the town of Svetogorsk, about one kilometre from the Finnish border. The outlet reported that he has been taken to a temporary detention centre for juvenile offenders located in the Nevsky area of St. Petersburg.
According to the news report, Russian authorities are considering how to return the boy to his parents. It also noted that officials have been in contact with the boy’s mother, who cannot travel to St. Petersburg to retrieve him due to financial constraints.
Under Russian law, a minor can only be handed over to their official guardian, Fontanka noted.
Due to the minor's age, the Finnish Border Guard has withheld further details, confirming only that the individual crossed into Russia alone.
Finnish and Russian authorities are both investigating the incident.
In a statement released on Friday morning, the Southeastern Finland Police said they are focused on assisting authorities in bringing the child back to Finland and protecting the privacy of those involved. They said more updates would be given next week or when the investigation progresses.
If the return does not progress at the request of border authorities, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs may intervene. The Border Guard has been in contact with the police, who in turn have reached out to the ministry.
Sirpa Nyberg, head of communications at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told Yle on Thursday that the ministry is aware of the case but will not comment further at this time.