Finland has begun construction of its planned 200-kilometer fence along part of its border with Russia, the country’s border guard announced on Tuesday, as Helsinki fears Moscow could use migrant flows at the frontier for political purposes.

Terrain work would begin on Tuesday “with forest clearance and will proceed in such a way that road construction and fence installation can be started in March,” the Finnish Border Guard said in a statement.

The three-kilometer pilot project at the border crossing near Imatra is expected to be completed by the end of June, it added.

Construction of a further 70 kilometers, mainly in southeastern Finland, will take place between 2023 and 2025.

In total, Finland plans to fence 200 kilometers of its 1,300-kilometre border with Russia at a cost of around 380 million euros (around $400 million).

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