Construction of 93 km of fence on Latvian-Russian border completed

RIGA - Contractors have finished construction of 93 kilometers of wire fencing along the Latvian-Russian border, but it is not clear yet if the construction of the fence will continue also in other sections of the border.

In the summer of 2015, a general agreement was concluded on the construction of border infrastructure along the Latvian-Russian border. The project envisages construction of a wire fence along all 283.6 kilometers of the Latvian-Russian border, State Border Guard representative Kristine Petersone informed.

The construction project provides for building wooden footbridges, patrol paths, culverts, a footprint strip and the aforementioned wire fence, which would be 2.7 meters high and topped with a barbed wire. The fencing is being built in certain sections of the border, based on an assessment of the likelihood of trespassing.

The total costs of the project are EUR 21.168 million.

By December 31, 2018, 207 kilometers of the border zone and 93 kilometers of the fence had been completed. The border zone project is scheduled for completion in 2020.

Analysis of border trespassing cases suggests that additional fencing should be built along 100 kilometers of the border, which would cost EUR 5.6 million. The government has not yet allocated funding for this purpose.