An EU country is mulling the idea of erecting a huge fence which will act as a barrier from Russia in a bolster to security.
Norway is considering installing a 123-mile barrier along part or all of its border with Russia, inspired by a similar project being undertaken in nearby Finland.
In an interview with the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said the idea of a border fence is “very interesting”
“Not only because it can act as a deterrent,” she said. “But also because it contains sensors and technology that allow you to detect if people are moving close to the border.”
The Norwegian government is looking at “several measures” to increase security on its Arctic border with Russia, the minister said, including fencing and increased staffing.
Finland closed its entire 830-mile border with Russia after 1,300 people crossed it without proper documentation in 2023, an unusually high number.
The 123-mile stretches of fence aim to stop “weaponised migration” – Moscow orchestrating migrants for what the Finnish government calls Russia’s “hybrid warfare”.
A bill valid for one year was passed in July that allows border guards to turn away “third-country migrants” attempting to enter from neighboring Russia and reject their asylum applications.
Enger Mehl visited in the summer to learn how they did shut the border in case Arctic tensions worsen and Norway needs to act.
She said: “It’s a measure that may become relevant on all or part of the border’ between Norway and Russia.” The minister was supported by police chief Ellen Katrine Hætta in Norway’s northern Finnmark county.
Norway is a NATO member but isn’t part of the EU. It does belong to the EU’s Schengen area, whose participants have abolished controls at their mutual borders, guaranteeing free movement of citizens.