Latvia Completed Construction of 280-Kilometer Fence on Border with Russia

Latvia has completed the construction of a 280-kilometer fence along the border with Russia, which is an important part of the country’s external security infrastructure.

This is reported by LSM.

The work lasted several years and was completed in December. Six construction contractors took part in the construction.

The construction of a fence of this length has become one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects in the field of national security.

The total budget amounted to €166 million. In some swampy areas, the process was particularly difficult, and the fence had to be installed on a pontoon.

Another 20 million will be spent next year to equip the infrastructure for patrolling and technical controls, which should be completed by the end of 2026.

Currently, the border guards and representatives of the Latvian Ministry of the Interior are conducting joint inspections of the completed fence and checking its quality.

The State Border Guards noted that the situation on the Latvian-Russian border is generally stable, but there are isolated cases of illegal crossing. According to the border guards, the fence will significantly facilitate border protection.

At the same time, Latvia completed a 145-kilometer-long fence on the border with Belarus, which is an ally of Russia, in the summer of 2024.

In addition, in October, it became known that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were developing joint evacuation plans in the event of a large-scale build-up of Russian troops or direct aggression.

Despite Russia’s statements that it had no intention of attacking NATO, the Baltic states also increased their defense budgets after the start of a full-scale war against Ukraine.

At the same time, the states have stepped up civilian preparedness for possible crises.