Finland has completed construction of a 200-kilometer barrier fence on its border with Russia, reports infohub.kz.
The Finnish Border Guard announced the completion of the barbed-wire fence. Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen emphasized: "The main task of the state is to ensure the safety of its citizens. The barrier wall on the eastern border is an integral part of an effective border security system in these unpredictable times."
She also noted that, as a member of the Schengen Area, Finland bears responsibility for the security of the union's external borders.
The 4.5-meter-high structure is equipped with a technical surveillance system, a road network, and clearings 25 meters wide.
Finnish authorities first announced plans to build a fence on the Russian border in September 2022, estimating a length of 130 to 260 kilometers. In February 2023, earthworks began: trees were uprooted on both sides of the border crossing area, with plans to build a test three-kilometer section.
In November of the same year, Finland closed all border crossing points with Russia except the northernmost one, Raja-Jooseppi. Thus, within a week, the nearly 1,500-kilometer border was almost completely sealed, leaving only a checkpoint a three-hour drive from Murmansk through uninhabited tundra, as reported by the BBC Russian Service.
In July 2024, it was reported that about 120 kilometers of forest would be cleared for the fence construction, and work started that summer.