Finnish foreign ministry official details how Russia's 'hybrid warfare' reshaped border security
Finland has finished erecting a 124‑mile fence along its eastern frontier with Russia, a move that the government says is a direct response to what it calls a “hybrid warfare” strategy that uses migrants to destabilise the country. The construction was completed this week, adding a physical barrier to an already‑closed land border that was shut in 2023 after an influx of over 1,300 visa‑less migrants arrived once Finland joined NATO in April.
The new fence, which stretches between the villages of Valkeakoski and Lappeenranta, is intended to curb the flow of people who the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs says Russia has been “instrumentalising” at the border. “We have in the past witnessed Russia’s attempts…to instrumentalise migrants at the Finnish border,” said Petri Hakkarainen, the ministry’s political director. “Basically pushing migrants towards our borders, forcing us then to take them on.”
Hakkarainen explained that a sudden surge in asylum claims could overwhelm the country’s social and administrative systems, potentially destabilising society. “The law allows border authorities to restrict asylum applications and turn back migrants if a foreign actor attempts to destabilise the country by funneling people across the border,” he told reporters.
The Border Security Act, passed as a temporary measure, has already been used to deny entry to a number of people deemed to be part of a “foreign‑actor” scheme. Critics have raised concerns about human‑rights implications and possible violations of international law, but Hakkarainen said that national security and sovereignty take priority. “We take these concerns very seriously,” he said. “But national security and our own sovereignty weighed more heavily in this conversation, though there is broad majority support for the act.”
Russia reacted swiftly to the border closure, filing a formal complaint that it described as “Russophobic.” The Kremlin issued a statement expressing “deep regret” and said the move had “replaced decades of pragmatic, mutually respectful relations” with an “anti‑Russian political stance.” Moscow has long viewed NATO’s eastward expansion as a direct threat and has used the conflict in Ukraine to justify fortifying its western borders.
Finland’s decision to close the border and erect the fence came after the country’s accession to the alliance, which prompted an immediate spike in migration attempts along the eastern frontier. “When Finland officially joined the alliance, we saw an immediate reaction: over 1,300 migrants without visa arrived at its eastern border,” Hakkarainen recalled. “Finland accused Moscow of weaponising migration as an act of ‘hybrid warfare,’ a charge the Kremlin denied.”
The new barrier supplements the existing measures. The 833‑mile Finland‑Russia border is the longest of any European Union or NATO member. In addition to the fence, Finnish authorities have deployed additional surveillance equipment and increased patrols.
“We think it is important to listen to those of us who live next door to Russia,” Hakkarainen added. “Listen to our analysis of the situation: we consider Russia to be a long‑term threat to transatlantic security—not only to Ukraine, not only to Europeans, but to transatlantic security as a whole.” He concluded that the country’s focus on preparedness has allowed Finns to return to normal life, “not despite that, but because of that.”
The completion of the fence comes amid a broader European debate over migration, security and the role of Russia in destabilising the continent. For Finland, the barrier represents a concrete step to protect its citizens while balancing its new NATO commitments and its long‑standing policy of neutrality.