Russia escalates tensions on the border with Finland and sends thousands of refugees. Finland is in the process of building a 200-kilometer-long fence along the border, which is partly in remote areas.
The four border crossings have been closed since November. Russia is preparing to create the announced new unit of ground combat troops near the Finnish border, where the Russian military presence has so far been minimal. Russia openly threatens to shoot down NATO jets – read “return of particularly aggressive attitude”.