Finland presented a test version of fence on border with Russia

The Finnish Border Guard has shown what a test version of the fence to be built on the Finnish-Russian border looks like.

As reported by the Finnish broadcaster Yle, Finish border guards invited the media to see a test section of the barbed wire fence. It is being built in the town of Pelkola in Imatra on the eastern border with the Russian Federation.

PHOTO: Border Guard presented the fence to the media, credit: YLE

The three-kilometre fence is being built to test the functionality of the barrier fence. The height of the wall is about four meters. Its construction should be completed in the summer of 2023.

After the pilot phase is completed, 200 kilometres of fencing will be built along Finland’s eastern border.

In early May, the border guard of southeastern Finland published photos of the fence, which caused a mixed reaction on social media. Some commentators believed that the fence looked unreliable and resembled a dog playground fence.

Border guards responded to the criticism by pointing out that the photos depicted an unfinished structure. They said that the image could have given an accurate picture of all the characteristics of the fence.

Finland will build a fence along part of its Russian border to strengthen its preparedness for hybrid threats, such as a potential mass migration of asylum seekers from Russia amid the Russia-Ukraine war and mobilization under the Putin regime.

The government will spend 139 million euros on the fence on the border with Russia.