This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Finland says it has begun construction of a 200-kilometer fence on the Russian border as Helsinki fears Moscow could use migrant flows at the frontier for political purposes. Terrain work were set to begin on February 28 “with forest clearance and will proceed in such a way that road construction and fence installation can be started in March,” the Finnish Border Guard said. The pilot project at the Imatra border crossing is expected to be completed by the end of June, it added. Construction of a further 70 kilometers, mainly in southeastern Finland, will take place between 2023 and 2025.
