Finland completes 200-kilometer border barrier with Russia to curb migrant flows

Finland has finished a 200-kilometer fence along its border with Russia, including a metal barrier, an adjacent road, and a cleared strip with cameras, lights, and loudspeakers. The project cost 356 million euros, with maintenance of about 1.5 million euros per year, and compensation of around 3 million euros to roughly 1,000 landowners. Officials say the barrier is meant to deter illegal crossings and directed migration amid a migrant surge in 2023, following Putin’s mobilization; Finland closed parts of the border at times as asylum seekers from Syria, Somalia, and Yemen increased. The Baltic states are pursuing similar border measures.