Finland starts construction of 200 km “fence” with Russia

The Finnish government is building a 200 km barrier on the border with Russia with the aim of supposedly protecting the country from possible Russian aggression. The structure represents 15% of the 1,300 km border between the 2 countries. It is currently marked with plastic signs and wires for most of its length.

Construction began on February 28, 2023, the target areas should be completed by 2025, and the remaining barrier completed in 2026. The deadline is justified by the weather conditions in the country.

The Finnish government calls the partition “fence” and, in a Q&A document (which can be accessed via the website or the full text – 455 KB), shared an illustration of what the structure will look like. Look:

The proposal was made by the Finnish Border Guard and the Ministry of the Interior to the Finnish government.

To make the barrier, the country had to change its legislation and include an amendment that limits the reception of asylum requests to specific points of entry. The changes are also expected to allow for the construction of fences and roads on the Finnish side to help with patrolling.

Finland and Russia have a history of wars and Helsinki, the country’s capital, feels threatened by its neighbor since the invasion of Ukraine.

“A barrier fence on the eastern border is necessary in the current security situation, as it prevents illegal entry, speeds up the detection and apprehension of people crossing the border illegally, allows for large-scale and instrumented entry prevention, and improves regional surveillance. and the prevention of territorial violations”justified the government.

Last week, Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

The Finnish government made its request official in May 2022 after assessing that the country’s security was threatened. The decision to join NATO was driven by the war between Russia and Ukraine. Finland had its entry ratified on March 30 after the organization’s 30 member countries approved membership.

Finland’s entry more than doubles the length of the military alliance’s border with Russia, as the Nordic country shares about 1,300 kilometers with the nation commanded by Vladimir Putin. Previously, 4 NATO members shared a land border with Russia: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The last 2 on account of the Russian territory of Kaliningrad, located on the edge of the Baltic Sea.

The Polish government took a similar decision to Finland in November 2022. It isolated the border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad with barbed wire. In February 2023, it decided to build an electric barrier in the same location. It will cost US$ 84 million (R$ 432.1 million). The reason, according to Polish authorities, would be to avoid a migration crisis.