The all-out assault on Ukraine has set Russia's other European neighbors in motion.

Finland is building several hundred kilometres of barbed wire fencing. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are creating a “Baltic Defence Line”. Poland will secure about 700 kilometres of its border in a plan dubbed “Eastern Shield”.

Things are also happening at the Storskog border crossing in eastern Finnmark.

– In view of the demanding security policy situation, as well as the ongoing technological development, various measures have been taken to strengthen and modernize the Norwegian border control towards Russia.

Tony Vangen, emergency preparedness manager at the Norwegian Police Directorate, tells NRK.

Refugees as weapons

In 2023, more than 1,000 migrants arrived at the Finnish border from Russia. Authorities claim that Russia is behind this in response to Finland joining NATO.

The country ended up closing its borders, and this summer passed a new law to prevent migrants from entering the country.

But they also began building a four-meter-high barbed wire fence along 200 kilometers of the southern part of the border with Russia.

– A physical fence is necessary in a situation where illegal border crossings are widely used, the Finnish Border Guard wrote in an email to NRK.

They argue that the border fence will make Finland less dependent on Russian border control.

The situation in Finland, among other things, prompted the Norwegian authorities to respond, says Vangen of the Norwegian Police Directorate.

drone testing

“Experiences from Finland, among others, where groups of migrants tried to cross the border illegally from Russia, have demonstrated the need for immediate measures, especially with regard to transition points,” says the Director of Emergency Preparedness.

In 2015, Norway witnessed a similar incident when several thousand migrants made their way to the Norwegian border and the border crossing at Storskog from the Russian side.

– At the Storskog border crossing, we are planning measures to improve security around the facility, says Vangen.

The goal is to be better prepared if you encounter a new wave of immigrants from Russia.

– In addition, there is constant adaptation and modernization, among other things, pilot projects using drones and other assistance in border control itself, she said.

However, Vangen stresses that the number of migrants arriving in Norway has been small and that the police are in close dialogue with neighbouring countries in the region.

Following the plan in Finnmark

The Police Directorate was also responsible for monitoring the actions carried out by the Finnish authorities at the border.

– The investigation was submitted on June 30 this year, but is exempt from public disclosure, Andreas Björklund, communications adviser at the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, wrote in an email to NRK.

Bjorklund says he can't provide any additional information.

The Norwegian Police Directorate wrote in an email to NRK that it also did not wish to make any further comments on the case.

The police are responsible for controlling Norway's approximately 200-kilometre border with Russia. But for this they also get support from the army, from the GSV Hunter Battalion based in the border municipality of Sør-Varanger.

– Since 2016, we have significantly strengthened the Hunter Battalion, Colonel Jørn Kviller, Head of National Defence in Finnmark, tells NRK.

A new company, the Hunting Company, was created, with many more recruits and staff, and new barracks and infrastructure were built.

The buildup came after the Russian attack on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and the Russian-backed uprising in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

– Due to the security situation in Europe and developments in Russia, it was decided early on to reinforce the GSV Hunter Battalion. Since 2022, we have only followed the plan, says Kviler.

Blowing up bridges and minefields

In 2018, the Finnmark ground defence was also restored. This will be the starting point for the new Finnmark brigade, which will be fully operational in 2036.

The ground defence in Finnmark is also being strengthened with new battalions, engineering and intelligence companies and combat air defence.

Jørn Qviller says the plans being drawn up are about how to defend Finnmark and northern Norway against a limited attack:

– After all, this is what determines the strengthening of the armed forces in Finnmark.

New defensive plans in the Baltic states and Poland include obstruction measures and terrain obstacles that would prevent an invasion force from advancing. Similar measures are being taken in Norway.

“Strengthening that capacity and opportunity in Finnmark is important going forward. But we have some of that in place today,” says Kvill.

In the national war planning system, there are “mobility countermeasures” to prevent the enemy from advancing quickly, the colonel says.

– There might be blowing up of bridges and roads and laying of minefields. So that's the kind of planning and preparation that we do.

The Baltic Barrier and Poland’s Eastern Shield line are based on experiences from the Ukraine war. Kvill says the measures introduced in Finnmark have not changed significantly since 2022. But they are “following what is happening”:

– Military development takes its course with technology, tactics and techniques. He stresses that we are following the matter as closely as possible, and adapting based on the scenarios we envision, and the terrain in which we will operate.

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