Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) chief Egert Belitšev told AK that: "The present-day experience on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border demonstrates that it is vital to get a picture of the situation and know what is happening on your borders."

"We have well-trained officials who guard the border with all their might. However, inevitably, our resources are not such that we can staff the entire border," he went on.

While the construction of the eastern border, primarily in the southeast of Estonia where it is often not demarcated clearly and runs through heavily forested and sparsely populated areas, has been talked about for many years, actual concrete work is now underway – including the installation of fences and pontoon bridges over boggy ground – on a 23.5-kilometer section of border in that region.

The work could not be filmed in detail by AK, due to security considerations.

"Border construction is very important for the Estonian state to get a comprehensive overview of what is happening on our borders, where there are places where people may try to enter Estonia illegally, to obstruct them and apprehend them quickly and also receive the procedural materials needed order to return people. It is very important to ensure Estonia's security," Belitšev went on, adding that the current, first stage should be finished within two years.

Recent reports of a surge in illegal border crossings from Belarus into Lithuania have prompted heightened concerns in Estonia, AK reported last week, as well as a backlash against the use of displaced persons as pawns in the game of geo-politics.

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