Finland has reopened its border with Russia only to shut it again within hours, in the latest stage of a row over asylum seekers in which Helsinki accused Moscow of staging a “hybrid operation” on the EU’s most easterly edge. After a two-week period of total closure of the border, two of the eight crossings on the 830-mile land frontier were reopened briefly. But the decision was swiftly taken to reclose the crossing points after after an estimated 36 people crossed over from Russia seeking asylum, the Finnish border guard said. Helsinki has said a recent rise in asylum seekers arriving via Russia was an orchestrated move by Moscow in retaliation for the Nordic country’s decision to increase defence cooperation with the US, a charge the Kremlin denies. The Finnish interior minister, Mari Rantanen, told parliament: “Now the phenomenon has restarted and we will close the entire border.” About 900 people from nations such as Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen entered Finland from Russia in November, an increase from less than one a day previously, according to the border guard. In a letter published on Monday, the Council of Europe said it was “concerned about the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants” after the temporary border closure and asked Finland to ensure it remained possible to seek protection. Rantanen, who represents the anti-immigration Finns party, on Monday told Reuters there was no cause for human rights concerns, as asylum could be sought at other entry points. During the two-week Russia border closure, Finland still allowed asylum applications to be filed for people arriving at harbours and airports.