- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko issued a border warning over Finland's expected accession to NATO
- The official said that Moscow would strengthen its military presence in the country's western and northwestern regions
- Finland is set to become a member of the army alliance following Turkey's support of the process
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Moscow would move to strengthen its military presence in the western and northwestern regions following an announcement that Finland would join NATO.
The official issued the border warning as Finland's accession to the global military alliance will expand NATO's influence along Russia's borders. Helsinki applied to join the alliance alongside Stockholm last year following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia Issues Border Warning After Finland Joins NATO
The latest development comes as Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia that will roughly double NATO's frontier facing Moscow. Last year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia was already taking "adequate countermeasures" and planned to form 12 units and divisions in its western military district, as per Reuters.
In a statement, Grushko said that the decision to bolster the military presence in Russia's western and northwestern regions resulted from the recent announcement. He added that if NATO's force and resources are deployed in Helsinki, the Russian Federation will take further steps to ensure Moscow's military security reliably.
The warning came as, on Tuesday afternoon, Finland's flag was raised outside NATO headquarters, formally marking Helsinki as a member of the military alliance. The decision is considered a strategic and political blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly pushed back against NATO's expansion toward his country.
The Russian strongman also partly used that reasoning to justify his war in Ukraine and continued aggression. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg released that Putin went to war with Ukraine to get less NATO but got more of it instead.
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Increasing Global Security
Similar to all other NATO members, Finland will benefit from the collective security guarantee that if a non-member nation attacks one of its allies, it is considered to be an attack on all of them, according to the Associated Press.
The global military alliance previously said it had no immediate plans to increase its presence in Finland. Some NATO members have deployed troops in the region for war games over the last year.
Finland's accession to NATO comes as the country has substantial, well-trained armed forces that include elite troops capable of operating in the sub-zero temperatures of the region. Furthermore, the Nordic country has a large reserve army and is investing in new equipment, such as dozens of US-made F-35 fighter jets.
Before the development, Turkey was a holdout to Finland and Sweden's membership application to NATO. This was due to concerns that the two Nordic countries supported "terrorist" groups.
But following several months of discussions and demands, Ankara has finally approved Finland to become a NATO member but still blocks Sweden's application. According to BBC, Stoltenberg said that Helsinki becoming an ally nation will strengthen security for all.
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