The Border Guard has deported a man to Russia after he illegally crossed the eastern border.
The Southeast Finnish Border Guard detained the man after a manhunt in Imatra on 27 November. He was caught in the city centre, near the Imatra Rapids.
The deputy commander of the Southeast Finnish Border Guard, Major Antti Virta, told Yle that the border crossing was detected by the Border Guard's own sensors and dog patrols.
The man crossed in the Imatra Heights area, north of the River Vuoksi. The new eastern border fence does not extend along that part of the frontier.
He was detained throughout his stay in Finland, the Border Guard said on Friday.
"After his asylum application lapsed, the Border Guard immediately returned the individual to Russia," it said in a statement.
Wagner fighter sent back last month
At least eight people have crossed the border from Russia into Finland illegally this year. So far, two of them have been returned to Russia.
In November, Finland sent back a Russian combatant belonging to the notorious Wagner mercenary group.
According to Yle sources, both of the deportees had withdrawn their applications for asylum in Finland.
Finland closed its entire eastern border two years ago, on 15 December 2023, following a wave of what it deemed to be "instrumentalised migration".