Finland begins construction of fence on Russian border amid NATO membership bid

Finland has started construction of 200 kilometre fence along its border with Russia in an attempt to boost security. The Finnish government is wary of Moscow trying to mass mobilise the troops along the said border, especially after the invasion of Ukraine.

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The Finnish Border Guard stated that terrain work will start after receiving forest clearance and "will proceed in such a way that road construction and fence installation can be started in March”.

The fence is expected to be three metre tall with barbed wire on top. Night vision cameras, floodlights as well as loudspeakers will be installed in key sections of the fence.

Notably, the announcement comes on the same day as the Finnish parliament kicked off a debate aimed at accelerating the bid to join NATO. A vote on the bill is scheduled to take place on Wednesday and is expected to sail through without much opposition.

Apart from the debate, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met Prime Minister Sanna Marin and President Sauli Niinisto and informed about the progress on the NATO membership bid of the Nordic country.

Read more: Finland inches closer to becoming NATO member while Sweden’s bid delayed by Turkey

"As you all know, all NATO Allies made a historic decision to invite both Finland and Sweden to become members of the Alliance. We are making progress. A couple of weeks ago, I met with President Erdoğan and we agreed to have a meeting with Finland, Sweden, and Turkey in Brussels next week," said Stoltenberg.

"This is a top priority for NATO and for me personally and so we work hard and we have to remember that so far this is the quickest accession process in NATO’s modern history," he added.

Finland has one of the longest borders (1,340 km) in Europe with Russia. Currenly, the border is protected using light wooden fences. After the war broke out, the country dropped itsmilitary non-alignment policy and applied to join the military alliance.

Read more: Are Swedish gangs receiving weapons destined for Ukraine?

(With inputs from agencies)

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