Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, has completed fencing work along a 200-kilometer section of the border.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said new sections could be built in other parts of the border in the future. Rantanen also said eastern European Union member states should have access to EU funds for border security projects.
Helsinki proposes extending border law
Rantanen argued that Europe's security environment has changed since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022 and that various hybrid influence operations have been observed.
The Finnish government has proposed keeping the Border Security Act in force for another two years to strengthen border security and prepare for serious situations that authorities describe as “instrumentalized migration.”
Helsinki closed its border with Russia in late 2023 after suspecting that Moscow was directing asylum seekers toward the border area as a tool of hybrid pressure.
Fence project began in Imatra in 2023
Construction of the security fence began with a pilot project launched near the city of Imatra in 2023. A year earlier, Finland's political parties had reached a joint agreement on building fences along certain sections of the border.
The project, which cost approximately 380 million euros, was completed slightly ahead of schedule. About 140 kilometers of the fence have been erected in southeastern Finland, with additional sections built in North Karelia, Kainuu and Finnish Lapland.
Historical background of the Finland-Russia border
The border between Finland and Russia is described as the longest border that any European Union or NATO member state shares with Russia.
The Soviet Union attacked Finland in November 1939. The conflict, known as the Winter War, lasted more than three months and ended in a Soviet victory despite heavy losses.
