Tensions are rising at the border shared by Finland and Russia, according to multiple reports.
This week, Reuters reported that Finland completed the first 35 km (22 miles) of a 4.5-metre (15-ft) high fence on its closed eastern border with Russia.
As Townhall previously reported, this was done in an effort to stop illegal immigrants from crossing over. Finland shut down its border with Russia in 2023 due to “weaponized migration” from Russia. Many migrants from countries like Syria and Somalia came through the border. This “weaponized migration” was presumably due to the fact that Finland joined the NATO military alliance after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine.
“Finland began constructing the fence, which will eventually cover 200 km (124 miles) of the border's total 1,344 km (835 mile) length, last year in response to migration via Russia through the border in 2023, which it believes was deliberately orchestrated by Moscow,” the report stated. When asked about this from the outlet, Finnish authorities stood by their decision to close the border with Russia and secure it (via Reuters):
"The main purpose of the fence is to control a large mass of people if they are trying to enter from Russia to Finland," the deputy commander of Southeast Finland Border Guard District, Antti Virta, told Reuters.
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After decades of peaceful relations with Russia, Finland joined the NATO military alliance two years ago in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prompting Moscow to threaten Helsinki with retaliation.
The same year - in 2023 - some 1,300 migrants from third countries such as Syria and Somalia arrived via Russia at the Finnish border to ask for asylum, until Finland closed all eight passenger crossing points to Russia indefinitely to put an end to the phenomenon.
That’s not all. In recent days, Russia has beefed up its military presence along the border with Finland.
As reported by the New York Times, “the imagery, confirmed by NATO officials, shows row after row of new tents; new warehouses that can store military vehicles; renovations to fighter jet shelters; and steady construction activity on a helicopter base that had been mostly unused and overgrown.”