Norway 'to build fence on border with Russia' amid increased tensions

Russia's neighbours have been fearful that Vladimir Putin will attempt to exert his influence and destabilise the region further amid his ongoing war in Ukraine

Norway is considering following its neighbour Finland in building a fence along its border with Russia amid increased tensions in the region.

Norway's Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl mooted whether a border deterrent with Russia would further enhance the Scandinavian country's security. Should a border fence be constructed, it would extend some 123 miles along the Russia-Norway Arctic border.

Speaking to public broadcaster NRK, published late on Saturday, Mehl said: "A border fence is very interesting, not only because it can act as a deterrent but also because it contains sensors and technology that allow you to detect if people are moving closer to the border." She added the government was considering "several measures" to improve security against Russia, such as hiring more border staff and improved monitoring.

The only official border crossing between Norway and Russia is the Storskog border station, where a few illegal border crossings have been attempted. According to the Norwegian government, crossings require valid travel documents.

The Storskog border station is surrounded by a 660-foot-long and 12-foot-high fence that was constructed in 2016. It was built after an estimated 5,000 migrants and asylum seekers crossed over from Russia into Norway the previous year.

Mehl added tense relations with Russia and the majority of its neighbours could lead to the country's government to close the border at short notice. Mehl recently visited neighbouring Finland in the summer to learn how its entire 830-mile long border with Russia was closed, according to MailOnline.

Finland closed all of its crossings with Russia in late 2023 after some 1,300 migrants - whom did not have documentation - travelled through Russia in an attempt to enter the Nordic country. The unusually-high number came just some months after Finland was accepted into NATO, despite warnings of consequences from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Finland believes the Kremlin is using migrants as part of "hybrid warfare" in an attempt to destabilise it and other nations it considers hostile. The country is currently building fences of up to 124 miles in different sections of its border with Russia.

It added fences would use high-quality surveillance equipment at crossing points and would better monitor and control any migrants who attempt to enter the country via Russia. Mehl said a similar fence could be useful to Norway, a NATO member.

NRK reported Mehl was supported by police chief Ellen Katrina Hætta of Norway's northernmost Finnmark county. "It's a measure that may become relevant on all or part of the border," Mehl added.