Finland Plans Border Wall With Russia to Stop Migrant Crossings
NewsweekNov 28, 2022
The Facts
On Tuesday, Finland — worried about a surge in Russians fleeing the country — started construction of a 124-mile (200 km), 10-foot (3 m) tall barbed-wire fence along its land border with Russia, covering "riskier areas" such as border crossings.
Forest clearance has begun to allow road construction and the installation of a nearly 1.9-mile (3 km) fence on both sides of the Imatra border crossing in Pelkola in March. This pilot phase is expected to be concluded by the end of June after the establishment of a technical surveillance system.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Strengthening borders is the right move for European countries neighboring Russia, as Putin's hybrid war against the West is abominably using illegal migrants as pawns to destabilize and pressure Europe. As Finland follows the path of other nations, it’s likely to achieve the same positive results even if Kremlin-backed forces keep trying to force migrants across the border.
Establishment-critical narrative
"Building walls" is an inhuman solution to migration. Moscow can then even claim the moral high ground by blaming the EU once these barriers are constructed. If this is truly an ideological battle between Russia and the West, then European nations and institutions must better demonstrate sound ethics when considering how to handle immigration and refugee flows.
