NORTH KARELIA, FINLAND – Peer through the wire fence dividing Finland and Russia, and a double-headed eagle stares back. The symbol of the Russian Federation is emblazoned on to a red and green striped post that marks the end of allied territory and the start of Vladimir Putin’s empire.
The boundary snakes through dense, uniform forest in the remote North Karelia region, and is heavily surveilled. Blocked by a 3.5m-high fence topped with another metre of barbed wire, it is monitored around the clock by cameras, sensors and patrols from land and air.
Less than three years ago, this border was open. Russian tourists came and went freely. Finns travelled to Russia to get cheaper fuel for their cars. Everything changed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. With growing aggression across the rest of Europe and accusations that the Kremlin was weaponising illegal migration into Finland, the border was shut in December 2023.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the closure came in the year that Finland joined Nato. Finland’s acceptance into the military alliance more than doubled Nato’s border with Russia, creating its single longest boundary with Russia.
Just 124 miles of the 830-mile boundary is being fortified – with the building of the border fence, which began in 2024, due for completion at the end of this year. The rest is blocked only by natural obstacles, like swamps, with smaller fences mostly aimed at managing cattle.
Finnish authorities have built a road along the fence to speed up their ability to respond to violations. The fence is peppered with gates for the area’s migratory bear population, which are usually left open but can be closed via a button in the headquarters should it be exploited by people.
Today, the North Karelian Border Guard, which manages 188 miles of the border, is one of few organisations in Finland that still works with its Russian counterpart. They liaise over forest fires, bear movements, trees falling and occasionally migration – but never discuss politics, says Lieutenant Colonel Mikko Kallinen, the force’s deputy commander.
Every year, usually in July, they hold a joint patrol with their Russian counterparts along the entire border, to check the conditions.
Border guards look on to Russian territory at the heavily surveilled boundary (Photo: Molly Blackall/The i Paper)“It’s changed since 2022,” Kallinen said, sitting in front of a map in a small command post on the border line, made up of a handful of drab, prefab white buildings encircled by barbed wire. “We used to have 10 to 14 meetings each year, now it’s four or five. But we cooperate on crime prevention, rescue, policing, and exchange emails weekly. We still see the Russian patrols. They salute us and continue on.
“Many of us had friends on that side, and some still do. It helps that we are part of the interior ministries, not the defence departments, because we don’t talk about military things.”
They are, in effect, “the first line of defence”. All staff have received military training, and those on patrol carry bulletproof clothing, helmets, night vision goggles and a hand gun. “If we see a Russian incursion, we must take all necessary measures to defend against that,” Kallinen said. “Yesterday, I renewed my licence for my assault rifle and pistol.”
There is plenty of investment in the area; the force has two surveillance planes, with new models to come next year, while the coastguard is getting two new Finnish patrol boats. They are developing capabilities to enable detection and monitoring of radio transmissions.
“We won’t be using it to listen to grannies in the area, but if there are large groups which could cause disturbance, we can monitor their movements to get a head start before we can physically see them,” Kallinen said.
Before the war, there were frequently more than a million crossings at North Karelia, and the surrounding area benefited economically from Russian visitors. Many Finnish businesses in the east of the country are suffering, and the border closure coincided with a spike in unemployment in Finland in 2023. At the start of this year, Finland had the highest unemployment rate of the OECD member states.
The border is monitored around the clock by cameras, sensors and patrols from land and air (Photo: Molly Blackall)Finnish MEPs have argued that Finland has – within the EU – shouldered a disproportionate financial burden from Russian aggression, not only from unemployment caused by trade cuts but because perception of risk is putting off investors.
As well as tourists, the North Karelia border guards historically received a large number of asylum seekers, mostly of Middle Eastern origin. This has ground to a halt with the border closed, and those who previously staffed border checks now work on border security.
After the war in Ukraine began, Kallinen’s team saw first hand the change in Russia’s approach to migration along its Finnish border.
“Before 2022, Russians checked immigrants had proper paperwork to cross, and they stopped doing that,” he said. “Sometimes we had up to 200 people in a day. They were providing the opportunity, at least, to cross to Finland.” Russia denies accusations it deliberately engineered an influx of migrants.
Today, many of those trying to cross the border from Russia to Finland are defectors fleeing Putin’s army fighting in Ukraine. Two people crossed this week seeking asylum from Russia – the first illegal crossings of the year – but their backgrounds are not clear. North Karelian border officials received four last year, all of whom wanted to be apprehended by Finnish authorities and were brought into custody before their claims were handed to immigration officials.
They aren’t turned back, but in June, one of the soldiers had a change of heart and volunteered to go back to Russia.
Occasionally, there are still unsanctioned crossings from Finland to Russia, mostly thrill-seeking tourists keen to snap a picture on Russian territory.
The North Karelia Border Guard are acutely aware of the responsibility they hold as the front line of defence against any possible Russian aggression. But despite the risks, these officers say they’re confident.
“We have adequate capabilities here,” Kallinen said. “We are safe and sound.”
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