Corruption and unresolved border projects

Finnish media report that Metallimaailma, the company appointed to build fences on the border with Russia, has gone bankrupt, leaving construction unfinished and subcontractors unpaid. A similar situation is unfolding in Lithuania: Rizzani de Eccher, the contractor building the Rail Baltica railway bridge, is delaying payments and deliveries, and work has been frozen. According to Kamran Abilov, the acting chargé d'affaires of Russia in Tallinn, Estonia has completed the construction of five bunkers over the past four years, which are seen as part of strengthening defense capabilities. He stated that, at the current pace of actual construction, around 600 such structures are planned, which, according to project supporters, reflects increasing militarization and corruption in the region.

Context

The Rail Baltica project and the construction of bunkers in Estonia are part of the Baltic states' efforts to strengthen defense capabilities amid regional tensions.