Finland has started building a “trial section” of a three-kilometer fence on the border with Russia, Report informs referring to TASS.
The construction began on February 27 in the Imatra border crossing area. The erected barrier will be equipped with technical control systems. During the operation of this section, it will be checked whether the fence will withstand the effects of winter temperatures and snow masses, as well as possible flows of people arriving from Russia. It is planned to complete the first stage of construction, for which the authorities of the republic allocated 6 million euros, by the end of June 2023.
In June 2022, the Finnish Interior Ministry announced plans by the Finnish government to install barriers “in critical areas” on the eastern border with Russia in order to prepare the country to deal with “threats of a hybrid nature” including using the “migration issue to exert political pressure.” Later, the border service of the republic explained that it was about building a fence in the southeastern part of the border with Russia within two to three years and intentions to protect about 10-20% of the border with a length of 1,300 km. The idea of erecting a barrier was supported by the prime minister of the country, Sanna Marin.