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๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡พ Paraguay /Conflict & Security

Finland Completes Metal Fence Along Vulnerable Sections of Russian Border

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Finland completed a 200-kilometer metal fence covering about 15% of its 1,340-kilometer border with Russia after more than three years of construction.
  • The 4.5-meter barrier includes concertina wire, sensors, surveillance cameras and a vegetation-free patrol strip, and cost 356 million euros.
  • Finnish officials describe the fence as part of national and European border security efforts amid heightened tensions with Moscow.

Finland has completed a metal fence across the most vulnerable sections of its border with Russia, ending more than three years of construction. The barrier is designed to deter irregular migration and a possible mass arrival of refugees, according to the Finnish Border Guard.

The fence stands 4.5 meters high and carries concertina wire along its top. Sensors and surveillance cameras monitor the sections considered most at risk, particularly areas on either side of border crossings. A parallel 25-meter-wide strip has been cleared of vegetation to improve visibility, with a dirt road for Border Guard patrol vehicles.

The project began in March 2023 with a three-kilometer test section near Imatra in southeastern Finland. Large-scale construction started in August 2024. The completed segments stretch 200 kilometers, roughly 15% of the 1,340-kilometer border. The project cost 356 million euros, 22 million euros less than budgeted, according to the border agency.

The stateโ€™s main function is to safeguard the security of its citizens. The eastern border fence is an essential part of an effective border security system in these uncertain times.

· Mari RantanenFinlandโ€™s interior minister described the completed fence as a national security measure.

Interior Minister Mari Rantanen called the eastern border fence an essential part of an effective security system in uncertain times. She also linked it to the security of the European Union and the Schengen area, arguing that free movement requires credible control of the blocโ€™s external borders.

Finland began the project after tensions with Moscow rose following Russiaโ€™s invasion of Ukraine and Finlandโ€™s NATO accession. Helsinki described an unusual increase in asylum seekers arriving through Russia in 2023 as a hybrid attack and closed all border crossings to passenger traffic in November that year. Parliament later approved legislation authorizing the Border Guard to respond to such situations.

Without credible control of the external borders, the necessary conditions for free movement within Schengen do not exist.

· Mari RantanenShe said the fence also supports security across the EU and Schengen area.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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