Finland has begun construction of a planned 200-kilometer concertina razor wire fence along its border with Russia amid concerns in Helsinki that Moscow could use migrant flows at the border for political purposes. Work on the ground began with the clearing of the forest and will continue so that in March the construction of roads and the installation of fences can begin.
A 3-kilometre razor wire fence pilot project at the southeast border crossing in Imatra is expected to be completed by the end of June. Construction of another 70 kilometers, mainly in southeastern Finland, will take place between 2023 and 2025. In total, Finland plans to fence 200 kilometers of its 1,300-kilometer border with Russia at a cost of about 380 million euros. The metal fence will be more than 3 meters high, with concertina wire at the top and particularly vulnerable areas equipped with night vision cameras, lights and loudspeakers.