Estonia completes 110 kilometers of fence along Russia border

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Estonia has completed 110 kilometers (68 miles) of its planned fence along the eastern border with Russia, authorities said Wednesday, as the Baltic state continues to strengthen surveillance and infrastructure on its frontier with the Russian Federation.

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said the total land border stretches 135 km (nearly 84 mi), with construction work expected to be completed by 2027.

“A large part of those kilometers is already covered with new, modern surveillance systems. The installation of surveillance solutions on the remaining infrastructure will continue in the coming years,” Veiko Kommusaar, head of border guard at the PPA, said in a statement.

Work is continuing in the southern Saatse area, where roads passing through Russian territory have been permanently closed and rerouted following a sighting of armed personnel last October, according to the Estonian news agency ERR.

Authorities are also building a new bridge over the Piusa River and developing a new road across the Krabilova bog to connect the Saatse border guard station with the nearby border crossing point.

Patrol roads are being constructed to ensure faster and easier access for border surveillance teams.

In addition, radar positions along the Narva River border are being upgraded and expanded to improve monitoring capabilities and response times to potential threats, Kommusaar said.

Some sections of the border under construction were initially planned to be exchanged with Russia after the ratification of a bilateral border treaty, which has yet to enter into force.

The total cost of the border project is estimated at €185.1 million ($201 million), with completion targeted for the end of next year.

Estonian authorities also plan to begin testing border infrastructure along parts of the water border later this year, focusing on critical areas where response times are short.