The construction of 200 kilometers of fencing along Finland’s eastern border with Russia was officially completed on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference near the Nuijamaa border, in the southeast of Finland, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (Finns) said there may be a need to extend the fencing areas in the future.
“I think it’s good that at some point we assess whether more of this is needed. What we particularly need is EU funding for eastern member states so that projects like this can be financed,” Rantanen said.
Finland’s border with Russia stretches to 1,340 kilometers, the longest frontier shared by any EU or Nato member nation with Russia.
Rantanen noted that the construction of the border fence was necessary as Europe’s security situation has changed significantly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as well as its use of various hybrid influencing operations.
“In this situation, every state must take care of its own security and the inviolability of its borders,” the minister stated.
Finland’s government has also proposed extending by another two years the validity of the Border Security Act. The act aims to “combat any attempts to put pressure on Finland, strengthen border security and prepare for the most serious incidents of instrumentalised migration”, an interior ministry press release said.
Instrumentalised migration refers to deliberate pushing of large numbers of asylum seekers to a border checkpoint as a hybrid warfare tactic.
Finland closed its border with Russia in late 2023 amid suspicions that its eastern neighbour was employing the tactic.
Նյութերը գեներացվում են տարբեր կայքերից արհեստական բանականության միջոցով