The Kremlin has called Finland's statements that Russian border guards deliberately bring migrants to the Finnish border to provoke a crisis unacceptable.

Source: the Russian Interfax news outlet quoting Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov

Details: Peskov said that "border crossing points are used by those who have a legal right to do so, and in this regard, our border guards fully comply with all their official instructions."

"And if they (Finnish authorities – ed.) are trying to find some far-fetched reasons, then again, we do not accept such accusations against us here," he said.

The Kremlin also commented on reports that Finland may close the remaining checkpoints on its land border with Russia in the coming days.

"This is nothing but deeply regrettable because we have had long-standing, very good relations with Finland, pragmatic and based on mutual respect. And, of course, we regret that these relations have been replaced by such an exclusively Russophobic position, which the leaders of this country have begun to adhere to," Peskov said.

Background:

• Last Thursday, Finland decided to close the Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala border crossings due to a surge in illegal migration. They have been closed to traffic since Saturday.

• According to available intelligence data, the government assessed that the Russian authorities are involved in transporting illegal asylum seekers to the Finnish border.

• Finnish border guards previously reported that in recent months, an exceptionally large number of people without entry documents had tried to enter Finland through checkpoints on the southeastern border.

'I'm being cut off from my family': Finland's Russian community hits out against border closures.

Several hundred protesters, including Russians living in Finland and dual-nationals, chanted "open the borders" at a demonstration outside the parliament in Helsinki on Saturday after some crossing checkpoints with Russia were closed on Friday midnight.

Many of the people said the decision will make it harder for them to reach their relatives in Russia.

Dual-national Helsinki resident, Vera Ponamoreva said she was worried she wouldn't be able to care for her elderly parents living in Saint Petersburg.

"I feel that I'm being cut off from my family," she said.

"I worry so much, and they (her parents) are also very afraid. Everyone remembers, even I remember what the Iron Curtain was. It's very scary to return to this."

Another dual-national, Pavel Myakinen said he was concerned that his mother wouldn't be able to visit him, as driving through open crossing points in Finland's north will make for a long and expensive journey.

While the protesters said they support the country's right to secure its border, they don't believe the closures will be effective in stopping undocumented migrants.

The border guards in the southeastern district said there had already been a decline in claims for asylum. They reported 176 asylum-seekers on Friday and two on Saturday.

"Today we have had quite a calm today because our border crossing points closed at midnight," the deputy commander of Southeastern Border Guard's District, Jukka Lukkari, said.

He added that there were small groups of migrants on the Russian side, but they were not admitted as the border crossing points were closed.

The Finland-Russia land border that serves as the European Union’s external frontier runs 1,340 kilometres, mostly through thick forests in the south, to the rugged landscape in the Arctic north.

Helsinki accuses Moscow of ''funneling'' migrants to its crossings, in response to the country's strengthening defence ties with the United States.

The Kremlin denies the allegation.