The Finnish Border Guard said that the fence will be 10 feet (3m) tall and will have barbed wire and surveillance equipment mounted on top.
Finland shares a 1,340km (832 mile) long land border with Russia, the longest of any European country. Most of the border is currently marked by a light wooden fence.
The new fence will not extend along the entire border but will be built in areas most likely to be breached, such as border crossing points and surrounding areas.
Finland decided to build the fence after a surge in the number of Russians running away to avoid conscription into the armed forces to fight in Ukraine.
The Finnish government signed-off a plan to build the border fence in June 2022 after noticing a rise in illegal immigration from Russia.
When finished, the new fence will cover around 15% of the border with Russia. The Border Guard said that the fence is designed to slow down illegal immigrant traffic and direct it towards areas where border officials are able to manage the flow of people.
Work on the fence began this week with forest clearance at the Pelkola border crossing point in Imatra. A road will be built along the line of the fence to allow border patrols and maintenance work. Night vision cameras, lights and loudspeakers will be installed in critical locations, said the Border Guard.
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