Construction of border fence between Latvia and Russia ahead of schedule

Latvia has now built 80% of the fence on the border with Russia. This is 222 of the 283 kilometres of the total length of the border.

As reported by Delfi, about 57 kilometres of the fence remain to be built, with about half of these works planned to be completed this year. The remaining 28 kilometres, which are located in difficult and inaccessible areas, will be completed by the end of October next year.

The construction of the fence and infrastructure is slightly ahead of schedule, said Renārs Griškevičs, Chairman of the Board of the state-owned enterprise Valsts nekustamie īpašumi (VNĪ).

Several organisations are involved in the project to strengthen the eastern border. VNĪ is responsible for managing the construction process, including the selection of contractors through a tender.

VNĪ was founded in 1996 and is entirely owned by the Latvian state. The capital owner is the Ministry of Finance.

In July, Latvia reported that the fence on the Latvian-Belarusian border, which is almost 145 kilometres long, was completed.

The country's eastern border is also being strengthened militarily; the Ministry of Defence has previously reported on the "dragon's teeth" and anti-tank hedgehogs being accumulated there as part of the Baltic Defence Line.