Modernisation of a further section of the border between Lithuania and Russia started in February.  Intelligent engineering solutions company Fima is installing an advanced frontier surveillance system and surveillance centre in the border station at Vileikiai, which is responsible for 27 km of the border with Kaliningrad.

The section of border controlled from Vileikiai will be equipped with nine surveillance towers, video cameras, night vision cameras, seismic sensors and a special radiolocator to detect people who attempt to cross the border illegally.

The border station at Vileikiai is the only centre on the Lithuanian-Russian frontier that runs along the Nemunas river without a modern surveillance system. The new system that Fima is installing will pinpoint the location of people who cross the border illegally more quickly and more accurately as well as ensuring more effective border security. It will detect and analyse incidents along the frontier automatically and then send the data to border force officers.

“Modern technologies to prevent border violations are 100 per cent fit for purpose. After modern border security technologies were installed at other stations along the Russian border, attempts to enter Lithuania illegally have fallen by three and a half times over the last three years,” said the Commander of Pagėgiai Frontier District of the State Border Guard Service, Rimantas Timinskas .

The project at Vileikiai is notable because of the particular environmental requirements of the installation. The border station is in the Nemunas delta regional park, home to a number of species of breeding birds and the site of frequent flooding.

The installation is being financed by the EU External Borders Fund.