Finland announces the first effect of the border fence. The offender wanted to escape to Russia

Thanks to the fence on the Finnish border with Russia, the offender was detained. This was reported by the Finnish broadcaster Yle.

Last Thursday, the fence on the eastern border stopped an offender trying to cross the border for the first time. An alarm triggered by the fence helped border guards prevent a single person from illegally crossing the border from Finland to Russia. The incident occurred in the city of Imatra (South Karelia).

"This was the first incident, but hopefully not the last. This is exactly why the fence was built," said Samuel Siljanen, head of the Border Guard Directorate of the Border Guard of Southeastern Finland.

The fence provides the Border Guard Service with round-the-clock video surveillance. The area around the fence can also be monitored using night vision devices and thermal imaging cameras.

A total of 140 km of fence will be built in southeastern Finland, with about 100 km currently in place. A technical monitoring system will be gradually introduced this year.

The border guard said that the data obtained through the monitoring technology is analyzed by artificial intelligence. AI can immediately report the presence of a person or animal near the fence. The fence has an entry gate for animals every three kilometers.

In total, Finland plans to build 200 km of fence on the eastern border. The total cost of the project is about 380 million euros.

• In May 2025, Finland completed the construction the first 35 kilometers of the 4.5-meter-high fence it is building on the border with Russia to combat illegal migration.
• On December 16, the Finnish Prime Minister said that Russia will move its troops to the borders of NATO countries after a possible peace agreement on Ukraine.
• January 10, 2026 Finland has finally withdrawn from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines.