Finland to start building fence on Russian border next year

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish border guard officials say construction of a planned barbed-wired fence on the Nordic country’s long border with Russia will start early next year. The initial three kilometer (1.8 mile) stretch of the fence will be erected at the crossing point in the eastern town of Imatra by the summer of 2023. The length of Finland’s border with Russia at 1,340 kilometers (832 miles) is the longest of any European Union member. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has said there was consensus among lawmakers to build a fence to cover parts of border with Russia. The project which will altogether cover a maximum of 200 kilometers (124 miles) of the border, is estimated to cost a total of 380 million euros ($393 million) and is scheduled to be completed by 2026.