"Finland, as our neighbor, will be the first to suffer"
Finland and Russia share a 1340-kilometer land border. Following the Russian attack on Ukraine, Helsinki gives up its long-standing military neutrality and joins NATO. A Russian diplomat declares "peace and quiet" to be at an end.
Russia has once again threatened new NATO member Finland with a military conflict. Finland will be the first country to suffer from an escalation of tensions between Russia and NATO, Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov told the state news agency RIA. "They lived quietly and in peace until they suddenly found themselves between Russia and NATO as a member of this alliance," explained Russia's permanent representative to the international organizations in Vienna. "But since they are our neighbors, they will be the first to suffer if, God forbid, there is an escalation."
A few days before Christmas, Russian President Vladimir Putin had already issued a similar threat. "All previous disputes, including territorial ones, were already settled in the 20th century," Putin said in a television interview. "There were no problems before, but now there will be." For now Russia will build up the Leningrad military district around the metropolis of St. Petersburg in the northwest of the country and station military units. "Why did they need this?" he asked the neighboring country.
Defense agreement with the USA
Finland and Russia share a 1340-kilometer land border. Following the Russian attack on Ukraine, Helsinki gave up its long-standing military neutrality and applied for NATO membership to protect itself from Russia - as did Sweden. Finland also recently signed a new defense agreement with the USA: it grants the US military access to 15 Finnish bases.
On Wednesday, the Russian arms manufacturer Rostec announced that its state-of-the-art artillery systems would soon be stationed on the border with Finland and Norway. The tests of the new Coalition-SV self-propelled howitzers have been completed and mass production has already begun, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov told the state news agency RIA. The first series production will be delivered by the end of 2023. "I think that they will soon be deployed there, because howitzers of this class are needed to outperform Western artillery models in terms of range."
The Finnish government recently announced that it would close the eastern border with Russia again after a brief opening. It will be closed by January 14, announced Interior Minister Mari Rantanen a few days before Christmas. Helsinki accuses Moscow of deliberately smuggling migrants to its western neighbor in order to destabilize it.
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In response to Russia's threat, Finland strengthens its defense by entering into a defense agreement with the USA, granting American military access to 15 Finnish bases. This move comes after Finland joined NATO following Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2014 and its subsequent imposed military neutrality. The presidential election in Russia 2018 did not deter Russia from its aggressive actions toward its neighboring countries, such as the attack on Ukraine, and its continued hostility towards Finland's entry into NATO.
Source: www.ntv.de
