AKIPRESS.COM - Latvia competed construction of the first 23km segment of a wire fence on its 276km border with Russia, designed to prevent “illegal immigrants” from breaching the perimeter, reported RT.

Latvia’s fence construction began in 2015 and the first 23km section is ready, local media reported citing State Border Guards spokeswoman Evgeniya Poznyak.

The Latvian government has allocated an additional €6.3 million on the construction and is seeking to build 60km of fence in 2017.

While a significant stretch of Latvia’s 276km border with Russia is believed to be well-protected with natural landmarks, including swamps and rivers, some 193 kilometers are deemed “vulnerable.” Yet the ambitious plan so far involves building only 92km of fence, Latvia’s Delfi news reports.

The main goal of the barrier, according to the spokeswoman, is to prevent “illegal migration.” It remained unclear though, if the fence was designed to prevent the illegals from entering Latvia or to keep them in.

The fence features barbed wire on top and has a “minimum” height of 2.7 meters, which makes it “not easy to climb on,” State Border Guards chief Normunds Garbars previously told reporters. The Latvian fence is thus 20cm higher than the “Great Estonian Wall,” which is expected to be only 2.5 meters tall.