Russia Will Build Fortifications on the Border With Finland

Russia has announced the start of construction of fortifications on the border with Finland.

This decision was explained by the ‘increase in military activity’ near the border, The Moscow Times reports.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that he had personally visited the border areas. According to him, barriers and other structures are already being erected there, and the Russian side needs to “improve the reliability of state border protection.”

He also said that Finland’s accession to NATO had led to a change in Moscow’s approach to border management and “to the reflection of possible unfriendly acts.”

Finland officially joined the North Atlantic Alliance in April 2023. This decision significantly changed the security balance in the region, creating a new section of the border with a NATO member state for Russia.

On September 1st, 2025, the new headquarters of NATO’s Allied Forces Northern Europe began operations in the Finnish city of Mikkeli, 140 kilometers from the Russian border.

This headquarters became the closest command center of the Alliance to the Russian border, which increased the Kremlin’s concerns and led to the decision to take new fortification measures.