Finnish Border Service: a fence on the eastern border may appear this summer — there are no fences on the border between Finland and Russia now
On the seventh of July, Finland adopted a law on the border, which allows you to restrict entry into the country, build fences and use private territories for this, Yle reports. The country's border service believes that a fence in the southeast may appear this summer.
Yasmina Kauta
A fence may appear on the southeastern border of Finland, and already this summer.
Matti Pitkanyitty, head of the International Cooperation Department of the Border Guard Service, says that a fence is likely to appear on some part of the border between Finland and Russia.
"It is important to remember that we have a common border with Russia with a length of 1,340 kilometers. According to my calculations, it would be worth to fence from 100 to 250 kilometers," says Pitkyanittu.
On the seventh of July, the Finnish Parliament adopted a new law on the operation of the border. It gives more opportunities to restrict movement across the border and to build fences.
The fence needs to be tested in Finnish conditions
The Border Guard Service has already thought about the construction of a fence between Russia and Finland would be appropriate.
In Finland, the border area does not belong to the state, so Finland must justify the need to build a fence, as well as prepare a resolution on how the damage will be compensated to landowners. The new law will allow the use of private territories.
The next stage is testing the fence. If the experimental section of the fence is erected this summer, it will be possible to "test" it in autumn and winter conditions. The fence must be accessible at any time of the day and under any natural conditions.
"This is not just a fence: technical control systems will be created and a special passage through which it will be possible to quickly approach the fence," says Matti Pitkianittu.
The best technically equipped part of the border is in the south-east of Finland, so it will be possible to test the fence on this site.
The reason for the appearance of the law was Russia's special operation in Ukraine, which began in February, and how it affected the security situation in Finland. This law allows the border with Russia to be closed from asylum seekers if Russia decides to use them to exert hybrid influence.
NATO will not patrol the borders
Other countries can help with the design of the fence. In early July, a fence with a length of 186 kilometers appeared on the border of Poland and Belarus. The 5.5-meter-high "steel wall" should prevent illegal attempts to get from Belarus to Poland.
The fence covers more than half of the border of Poland and Belarus. Pitkaniittu emphasizes that the fence itself cannot completely protect against illegal border crossing.
"If desired, a person will be able to climb over a fence with a height of more than five meters. But the fence should give the Polish border service more time to react."
On the eve of Johannus, the midsummer holiday, about two thousand refugees crossed the southern border of Spain. According to officials, 12 people were killed in clashes between refugees and representatives of the Border Service (according to human rights organizations — 37).
Spain asked for help from NATO at the Madrid summit at the end of June, the United States promised to strengthen cooperation with Spain on this issue.
Despite the fact that the control of the border is not part of the tasks of NATO, the participating countries raise issues of hybrid influence at the summits, says Pitkyanittu.
"These are serious security issues, and therefore they are discussed at the NATO negotiating table. The alliance has not yet taken action, and although Finland will become a member of NATO, we will not see alliance troops at the borders of our country. The borders will continue to be controlled within the EU and in accordance with the norms of the Finnish Border Service."
