Finland now also draws physical borders with Russia. The newest NATO member starts construction of a 200 kilometer long border fence. So you want to gain more control over the border region.
Less than two weeks after joining NATO, Finland has begun building a border fence with Russia. The first part of the three-metre-high barrier decided by the government in Helsinki last year is being built in Imatra, 250 kilometers northeast of the capital. The costs are estimated at 380 million euros.
The responsible project manager, Ismo Kurki, said on Friday that it was not intended to stop an invasion. On the contrary, about 200 of the total 1,300 kilometers should be secured, where migrants are most likely to be expected. Finland fears that the government in Moscow could send large numbers of them to Finland.
“The situation on the Finnish-Russian border has been stable and is currently stable,” said Brigadier General Jari Tolppanen of the Finnish Border Guard. However, given the changed situation, his country must gain more control over the border. “And Finland needs to become less dependent on Russian border controls,” he adds.
Cooling diplomatic relations
Last year, Finland recorded 30 illegal crossings, while the Russian side intercepted about 800 attempts, the Finnish Border Guard said.
Russia reacted with threatening gestures to Finland’s accession to NATO. The Finnish embassy in Moscow recently received a letter containing powder. She then contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Friday. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly since Finland joined NATO on April 4.
Source: Krone
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