Today, the Russian authorities issue several warnings against Finland and Sweden.
At first it was the ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy head of the Russian Security Council.
He emphasized that Russia would have two new aggressions if Finland and Sweden became members of NATO.
A clear message: Dmitry Medvedev is the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, and he says that Finland and Sweden will become enemies of Russia if they join NATO.
Photo: Sputnik / Reuters
“There is no longer any talk of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Baltic Sea,” Medvedev was quoted by the official Russian news agency as saying. tast.
He stressed the need to restore balance in this region.
This could mean that Russia will deploy nuclear weapons in and around the Baltic Sea.
The former president noted that NATO’s borders with Russia would double if the two Scandinavian countries joined NATO.
Sweden’s concern: According to the Swedish authorities, Russian fighter jets penetrated the airspace over Jutland in early March.
Photo: Swedish Air Force/AFP
He also says it is appropriate for the Russians to expand their ground forces, air defenses, and naval forces near Finland.
Troops can also be deployed in Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
This backwater is located between Poland and Lithuania.
Read more: Russian warship burns in the Black Sea – Ukraine claims it’s overdue
– Number of measures
The current president’s spokesperson also comes with warnings.
More options: President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russia’s security must be strengthened if the Scandinavian countries join NATO.
Photo: Alexei Nikolsky / AP
“President Vladimir Putin will consider a number of measures to strengthen the country’s security if Finland and Sweden become members of NATO,” Dmitry Peskov told Reuters.
The Russian Defense Ministry is now working on various alternatives that Putin will study in more detail. It is said that it will take some time before the plans are ready.
According to TASS, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Russia will have to implement security measures if the two countries in the north join NATO.
It also claims that it will lead to the most “unwanted consequences”.
With this, the Russian authorities made it clear that the issue of NATO membership for Finland and Sweden is an issue that Russia considers very important and dangerous.
Waiting for feedback
Finland and Sweden have always been neutral countries.
But after Russia went to war with its neighbor Ukraine on February 24 of this year, the mood and discussions in the country changed.
Cooling threats: Russian military ships depart from a port in Kaliningrad.
Photo: Vitaly Nivar/Reuters
Opinion polls now show that two out of three Finns want the country to become a member of the Western Defense Alliance.
Polls show a clear majority for NATO membership. The majority of the elected representatives in the Riksdag support membership, President Sauli Niinisto tells NRK.
He says he hopes Finland and Sweden can apply together for NATO membership, and that the process will go fairly quickly.
The Finnish president indicates that he expects reactions from Russia.
He does not want to think about major military countermeasures, but says that Finland is prepared for all eventualities.
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