HELSINKI, Finland: Less than two weeks after Finland became the 31st member of NATO, it has begun the construction of a barbed-wired fence along its long border with Russia near the southeastern town of Imatra.

Finland's 832 mile border with Russia is the longest of any European Union member.

Last week, the Finnish Border Guard held an event to showcase the building of the initial 1.8 mile stretch of the fence, to be erected in Pelkola near Imatra.

The construction of the border fence was approved last year by Prime Minister Sanna Marin's government, amid wide political support.

Finnish border officials said the main purpose of the three-meter (10-foot) barbed-wired high steel fence is to prevent illegal immigration from Russia from entering Finland and allow authorities to react in time.

In an attempt to influence Helsinki, in 2015 and 2016 Moscow brought large numbers of asylum-seekers to northern Finnish crossing points in the Arctic Lapland region.

However, officials acknowledge that Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24th February, 2022, was the main reason for Finland's quick push to join NATO, after decades of military neutrality.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Brigadier General Jari Tolppanen, head of the technical division at the Finnish Border Guard, said, "Border barrier fence was no kind of political topic before the war in Ukraine. And actually, it was not a kind of plan of the Finnish border guard. All changed after the attack of Russia against Ukraine."

By summer 2023, the pilot section of the fence is scheduled to be completed, while the barrier will eventually be extended to 124 miles.

"Here in Imatra, we are not so afraid about Russians, because the border has always been there and it has never been open like between European countries," said Antero Lattu, vice chairman of the Imatra City Council.

The border fence project is scheduled to be completed by 2026, at an estimated cost of $422 million.