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Now doubts are creeping in.

With much of eastern Ukraine in the hands of Russian-backed separatists, large swaths of the border remain impossible to secure — meaning enemy troops can just sneak in through areas under rebel control. And cash-strapped authorities have already had to revise budgets downward, so there’s little money for building defences.

The project is for now centered on the Kharkiv region, which lies north of the conflict zone and shares a 315-kilometre border with Russia. To insulate that region from any separatist offensive, another layer of protection is being built on the frontier with areas under rebel control.

Views are mixed among residents in the city of Kharkiv, the regional capital, about the wisdom of building defences.

Some in the economic powerhouse of 1.4 million people embrace the idea, and look with distress to the fate that befell the neighbouring, mainly Russian-speaking Donetsk and Luhansk regions. More than 6,000 people have died to date as a result of fighting between government and rebel forces.

“We need to protect ourselves somehow,” said Sergei Kotlyar, 46. “But, of course, this won’t give us 100 per cent guarantees, even if it holds back the enemy for a little time.”

Others believe investing in fences and trenches is a waste of money, noting that anti-tank defenses will be of limited use against the rocket launchers widely deployed over the course of the war.

“Who is it going to stop?” said 22-year old Kharkiv resident Anatasia Duda. “A country like Russia definitely has the means to deal with slabs of metal. And what’s the use of that wall when the border with Donetsk isn’t even under control?”