Finland backs fence construction on russian border
Finland's border guard advocates for the initiative to build a fence on the border with russia due to "recent changes in the security environment."
Politico reports, referring to the Finnish media.
The proposed fence would enclose 10 to 20 percent of Finland's eastern border, from 130 to 260 kilometers, the head of the country's border service Pasi Kostamovaara said. The construction cost of this structure is estimated at hundreds of millions of euros.
The planned fence could be built on the southeastern part of the border, where more activity of russian citizens trying to cross the border illegally has been noticed.
Currently, illegal crossings are not "widespread," says Matti Pitkäniitty, head of international cooperation at the Border Guard Service. However, restrictions on border crossings from the russian side could change the situation.
At the same time, Politico notes that in recent days there has been a significant increase in the number of russians crossing the border legally in Finland, which is caused by the efforts of men of military age to avoid "partial" mobilization in russia.
Last weekend alone, about 17,000 russians crossed the border with Finland, which is 80 percent more than a week earlier.
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