A new law has been passed in Finland to build stronger fences across the border with Russia, replacing the current border made of light wooden fences.
As Russia could use migration as a way to exert political pressure, Finland’s Border Guard Act is set to construct sturdier fences across its eastern border with Russia, roughly 800 miles (1,300km).
Anne Ihanus, a senior adviser at the interior ministry of Finland, explains that the law is to “improve the operational capacity of the border guard in responding to the hybrid threats. The war in Ukraine has contributed to the urgency of the matter.”
Director of the Finnish border guards’ legal division, Sanna Palo, comments, “What we are aiming to build now is a sturdy fence with a real barrier effect.”
The new border fence also aims to close border crossings and concentrate asylum seekers at specific points.