Against the background of the situation with a large number of refugees on the Polish-Belarusian border, the Estonian authorities consider it necessary to erect barriers for 115 kilometers.
On the land border of Estonia with Russia, work has begun on the construction of temporary barriers, said the chief of the operational headquarters of the Eastern Prefecture Urmas Elm.
First of all, the barriers will be installed in Narva in the north-east of the country and on the banks of the Piusa River in the south-east of the republic, confirmed the deputy director general of the police and border guard department for border protection Egert Belichev.
It is planned to install high-tech equipment at the border, in particular, an electronic security system. In addition, drones will be used here and any crossing will be recorded by sensors, the Estonian authorities warn.
For about 90 kilometers of the border, it is also planned to build a fence with a height of 2.5 meters.
Raising the border at an accelerated pace
On the Estonian side, about 25 kilometers of the border have already been arranged and work is underway on the next section, 39.5 kilometers long. The total length of the Estonian-Russian border line is 338 kilometers. Of these, 76 kilometers pass along the Narva River and another 127 kilometers along Lake Peipsi.
The land border, 135 kilometers long, runs mainly through difficult terrain and in forested areas. Therefore, the authorities consider it necessary to build border infrastructure only for 115 kilometers.
In connection with construction work in the regions bordering with Russia, flights of aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles are prohibited until November 26.
Currently, there is no legal border between the countries. The border treaty between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries was signed in 2014, but has not yet been ratified.
The previously approved plan envisaged the completion of the border with Russia by 2026. However, work on the construction of temporary fences is being carried out at an accelerated pace due to the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border.