Norway strengthens border security along Russian border

By Thomas Nilsen, The Barents Observer November 5, 2025
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The European Commission has granted Norway €16.4 million to improve security along Norway’s 198-kilometre-long border with Russia.
A new improved fence will come at the most exposed parts of the border, like here at Skafferhullet. A rusty gate today blocks the entrance blocking entrance to the narrow road once built from Norway to the Russian hydropower plant in Borisoglebsk. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Although not a member of the European Union, Norway is closely linked through membership in the European Economic Area and the Schengen Agreement. The latter allows for passport-free travel between member states and joint efforts to secure the external borders.

The EU funding comes from the Integrated Border Management Fund.

“The security situation in Europe means that Norway is implementing several measures to strengthen border surveillance. The police and the military will strengthen their already good cooperation through closer coordination and further development of the border mission,” said Lieutenant Colonel Rune Rippon of the Norwegian Defence Staff.

Two-thirds of the Norwegian-Russian land border follows two rivers, the Pasvik River and Jakobselva. Erecting a fence in the river, or on the riverbanks, is out of the question since Norwegians have the right to fish in the rivers and walk freely without any restrictions.

On the Russian side, though, a barbed wire fence stretches from the Barents Sea in the north to the Baltic Sea in the south. The Russian fence creates a border zone where no civilians have access.

New fences will come at the most exposed parts of the border, mainly at Skafferhullet (top photo) and near Storskog, the official checkpoint for traffic between the two countries. The new fence at Skafferhullet is estimated to cost €400,000, according to the police.

The work on erecting a higher, improved fence at Storskog has been going onsince this spring.

In addition, there will come new sensors and surveillance cameras along the border. The sensors will have the capacity explore how drones can support border surveillance, according to the police.

In recent years, only a few illegal crossings are reported annually. A few persons have walked over from Norway to Russia after 2022.

Illegal border crossings from Russia to Norway after 2022 include the Wagner mercenary Andrei Medvedev and the deserter from the Ukraine war who came in August this year.

The Storskog checkpoint is still open for people with valid travel documents. 3,833 crossings were counted in October, the police reported in an email to the Barents Observer. That is down 7% compared with the same month last year.

So far in 2025, a total of 43,992 border crossings with legal documents have been registered, a decrease by 12% from 2024.

The Pasvik River forms the border between Russia and Norway. The border line follows the deepest parts of the river which is frozen during winter. FSB has set up a barbed-wired fence in distance from the shores on the east side to hinder Russians escaping from the country. On the Norwegian side, the is no fence. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Located in Kirkenes, Norway, just a few kilometres from the borders to Russia and Finland, the Barents Observer is dedicated to cross-border journalism in Scandinavia, Russia and the wider Arctic.

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