Finland wants a stronger fence on the border with Russia, Colonel Marko Turunen, commander of the North Karelia Border Guard, told the media. The news comes amid the standoff between Moscow and the West over Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Turunen told MTV3 that officials are analyzing the state of the border fence, but the final decision to reinforce it has not yet been made and no actual work has been done so far.
“If such a decision is made, we will proceed in a controlled and planned manner,” Turunen said on Saturday.
Russia and Finland share a 1,343km (834 mile) land border. According to MTV3, from the Finnish side, it is only protected “by a thin and rusty barbed wire fence.”
Turunen said a stronger fence is planned for high-risk and critical areas, including border crossings and areas nearby. He declined to reveal the specifics on the estimated length of the planned reinforced fence and its construction.