Lithuania starts building a fence on border with Russia
On Monday, Lithuania started the construction of a protective fence, nearly 45 kilometers in length, on the border with the Kaliningrad region of Russia. The ceremony of laying the first pillar of the border structure took place in the village of Ramoniskiai, in the Sakiai district.
The cost of work will be 1,335 million euros. Money will be allocated from the budget of Lithuania, reports Delfi news website.
A metal segment fence with supplemental equipment, approximately two meters in height, will be built in increments along the state border with the Kaliningrad region. Until now, only special signs and a 13-meter control strip designated the border between the states. The fence will be erected beginning from the site of the tripartite crossing of the state borders of Lithuania, Poland and Russia in the area of Lake Vistytis and will continue through Sakiai and Vilkaviskis districts to the Neman river.
All the works envisaged in the contract for equipping the new fencing infrastructure are planned for completion by December 20 of this year.
A fence is also planned for construction on the border between Lithuania and Belarus by 2020. According to law enforcement, these fences are being erected in order to curb smuggling and improve protection from illegal migration.
At the same time, Lithuanian Interior Minister Eimutis Misiunas, at the beginning of the year, referring to the need for a wall, recalled a situation when Russian employees entered Estonia and kidnapped an Estonian policeman, and then accused him of illegally crossing the border. According to the minister, it is therefore important to stop such incidents. "The fence is a sign that we regard the neighboring state as an aggressor," Misiunas then stressed.