Just a few hours from St Petersburg is Finland, where the country has begun constructing a 200-kilometre fence on its border with Russia to boost security

 
The Border Guard said it will be three metres tall with barbed wire on top.

Finland shares the longest European Union border with Russia.

Right now, Finland’s borders are secured primarily by light wooden fences.

Finland decided to build the fence due to a rise in Russians seeking to escape conscription to fight in Ukraine.

Night vision cameras, lights and loudspeakers will be installed in certain sections of the fence.

The Nordic country also moved closer to joining the NATO alliance.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says now is the time to allow Finland and Ukraine will join in time.

Its parliament started debating a bill to speed up the country’s bid, with a vote expected on Wednesday.

Only Turkey and Hungary have yet to approve the Finnish and Swedish bids to join the defensive bloc.

Finland’s Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, says that the quicker western allies give Ukraine more heavy weapons, “the sooner the war will end”.