Finland: The construction of a barbed wire fence along Finland’s long border with Russia is primarily intended to prevent illegal immigration. Finnish border guards on Friday demonstrated the initial three-kilometer length of the fence they are installing at Pelkola, near a crossing point from the quiet lakeside town of Imatra, home to about 25,000 people. Finland’s 1,340 km border with Russia is the longest among EU members.
Border fencing is an initiative of the Border Security Force. Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s government approved it last year amid widespread political support.
Finnish border officials say the main purpose of the three-meter-high steel fence is to prevent illegal immigration from Russia and give authorities reaction time.
In 2015-2016, Moscow tried to influence Finland by organizing large numbers of refugees to northern Finnish crossing points in the Arctic Lapland region.
Thousands of refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan and other Middle East countries were deliberately taken to border crossings by Russian authorities. The move was seen as a show of force by Moscow. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve the issue. Soon the flow of immigrants stopped.
However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year was the main reason for Finland’s sudden push to join NATO after decades of military deployment. Officials acknowledge that this prompted the construction of the border fence.
