Finland strengthens border security in response to Russia’s ‘hybrid warfare’

Following strategic security shifts after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland has completed the construction of approximately 200 kilometers of fencing along its eastern border with Russia. Petri Hakkarainen, political director for the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told Fox News that the move is a response to Moscow's attempts to 'instrumentalize migrants' by pushing them toward Finnish borders. According to Helsinki officials, these tactics are intended to destabilize Finnish society by forcing the processing of large volumes of asylum claims. In response, Finland closed its entire land border with Russia in 2023, a move the Kremlin condemned as 'Russophobic.' Beyond physical barriers, the Finnish parliament passed a Border Security Act, allowing authorities to restrict asylum applications and turn back migrants if a foreign actor attempts to destabilize the country by funneling people across the border. Hakkarainen emphasized that while there were initial debates regarding human rights, national security and sovereignty took priority in the decision. Finland, which shares the longest border with Russia of any NATO member state, joined the alliance following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.