World's Most Modern Border Barrier Being Built in Southeast Finland

"The Russians are probably actually happy that Finnish money is being spent on the fence. It doesn’t cost them anything, yet it increases security on both sides of the border."

The Kremlin won’t be able to use migrants as a weapon through the new border barrier, the northern neighbors are convinced. However, the decision by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s right-wing government on whether to open or close the border is separate from the fence construction.

"Border traffic through official crossing points is a completely separate issue," Virta explains. "The pressure was created by the Russians at our border checkpoints; by building the fence, we’re preventing that kind of pressure from emerging along the so-called green border."

The greatest threat is a war with Russia. The task of the Finnish Border Guard is to defend the country. "We conduct independent exercises, but we also train together with the armed forces," confirms Major Antti Virta.

The Southeast Finland Border Guard Unit is responsible for three of the eight major border crossing points along Finland’s eastern frontier. These are located in Imatra, Nuijamaa, and Vaalimaa.

Virta’s unit also oversees a railway crossing in Southeast Finland, located in Vainikkala, where Russian freight trains still pass through a few times a week. These trains carry goods that are not under sanctions.

“When a train crosses the border from Russia, it stops and the border guard checks everyone on board. After the goods are offloaded, the train returns empty to Russia,” Virta explains.

Currently, around 300 people are working on border construction in Southeast Finland. As the work ramps up, another 200 builders are expected to join. One of the border guards’ responsibilities is also to monitor and protect all workers operating near the sensitive border zone.

At the same time, the closure of crossing points has had a serious impact on the lives of 740 border guards in Southeast Finland—nearly three-quarters of whom were previously tasked with operating those checkpoints.

The proud new border fence might also put 70 service dogs out of their current roles along the 140-kilometer section of the Southeast Finnish border.

Are jobs vanishing behind the modern fence?

“Finland needs every single border guard. Right now, we’ve reassigned our personnel directly to the border or to airports. We hold weekly exercises because we want to be prepared for the worst-case scenarios,” Virta explains.

According to him, the worst-case scenario is clear to everyone: war with Russia.

“The Finnish Border Guard’s mission is to defend the country. We conduct independent exercises, but we also train together with the armed forces,” says Virta.

The Finns hold their service dogs in high regard. These loyal four-legged colleagues assist border guards both at checkpoints and along the "green border." They would remain valuable even in combat situations.

“We need the dogs badly, and we want to keep them on the border in the future as well. Once the new border barrier is completed, we will adjust our tactics for using service dogs,” notes Virta.

According to the Finns, not even drones can fully replace dogs. However, drones are being used along the eastern border to monitor local activity and to provide a broader, helicopter-style view of the area.

This year, no border incidents have been recorded in Southeast Finland, and smuggling along the eastern border on the far side of the Baltic Sea ended years ago.

The Kremlin’s GPS jamming affects everyone, but Virta believes it also helps hinder criminal activity.

“There are border zones on both sides where it’s easy to detect smugglers’ drones,” he says.

In Finland, the maximum width of the border zone is up to three kilometers, but in Russia, it can stretch up to ten kilometers.

Finland’s decision to build a modern border fence was prompted by its accession to NATO in the spring of 2023. In response, the Kremlin sent waves of illegal migrants to the northern neighbor’s border crossing points.

“The construction of the fence is necessary due to the current security situation and the threats we’ve faced at Finland’s border over the past two years,” says Virta.

“It has to be done to manage migration pressure.”

At the end of 2023, Finland’s border guards at all eight eastern border crossings faced nearly 1,300 refugees arriving from Somalia and Syria.

"If there's no threat from a border security standpoint, we keep the animal gates open so that all the wolves, wild boars, and moose can pass through the fence," says Major Antti Virta.

The government decided to close the border but also allocated €380 million to reinforce it. No EU taxpayers' money is being used for the northern neighbor’s border fence.

“We’re implementing the latest technology: cameras that can distinguish between humans and animals; floodlights that make activity on the border visible even in the most difficult weather conditions; and an audio system that allows communication with people near the fence,” says Virta.

In total, 200 kilometers of barrier will be built along Finland’s eastern border. It will consist of a surveillance system, fencing, and a patrol road. The entire structure is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

To enable this, forests are being cleared along a 25-meter-wide strip next to the fence. The goal is to improve visibility, according to Finland’s national public broadcaster, which reported on the logging efforts.

Virta adds that the road being built alongside the fence is intended to increase the border guard’s ability to respond.

“It allows us to react to any disruptions we detect in the border area.”

Finland’s eastern border is 1,340 kilometers long. The fence will only cover the highest-risk sections—most notably in Southeast Finland.

“Southeast Finland is the main hotspot, which is why we’re building a 140-kilometer stretch of the barrier here. Right now, about 35 kilometers are more or less completed, but only about one kilometer is fully finished,” Virta says.

Along the eastern border of the people living on the northern coast of the Baltic Sea, there isn’t a single patch of state-owned land. That’s why construction of the border barrier didn’t begin until agreements had been made with all private landowners along the border.

“In Southeast Finland, border construction affects 550 different landowners. We compensate them if we use their land or cut down their trees,” explains Virta.

When asked how much private landowners were paid by the Finnish state for allowing the border barrier to be built, Virta does not provide an answer. He also doesn't have information on the approximate value of an average felled tree.

“Every landholding is different, and every tree is different. That’s why every agreement with landowners is unique. Once the border barrier is complete, we’ll break down the total costs in more detail and will be able to provide more specific information,” Virta explains.

Without the consent of landowners along Finland’s eastern border, nothing could have been successfully built there. The Finns’ will to defend their country is strong—nearly 80 percent of citizens say they are ready to take up arms to protect their nation.