Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said on Tuesday that neither Russia nor Ukraine had contacted Finland about a former Wagner Group figher that was detained by the Finnish Border Guard last month.
According to an Yle report, the Finnish Border Guard detained a Russian man in mid-June, after he illegally crossed the eastern border and applied for asylum.
The man, known by his first name Yevgeny, was apprehended by the North Karelia Border Guard on 17 June near the town of Kitee. He was detained on suspicion of a border crossing crime.
According to PM Orpo, authorities have kept him up-to-date about the case from the start.
"Back in June, I was informed that an illegal border crossing had taken place and that the person had been detained," Orpo said, adding that the Border Guard was still in the process of questioning the man.
According to Yle's information, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is looking into whether other criminal probes need to be opened, due to his background.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Finland has previously said it is aware of a Wagner fighter being held in Finland. The diplomatic mission told Yle on Saturday that it was still too early to assess the possiblity of his extradition to Ukraine.
PM Orpo said the man's detainment at the border showed that security along Finland's eastern border is consistently at a high level.
