After the West inked Finland into NATO, Putin signaled trouble ahead for its neighbor.
Marking a significant shift in northern security landscapes, Finnish NATO membership extends the alliance's boundary with Russia by approximately 1,300 kilometers (830 miles). This move certainly stirs up Putin, long a critic of NATO expansion.
In an interview published last Sunday, Putin lambasted Western intervention, stating, "They (the West) have invaded Finland and dragged it into NATO! Why do we have problems with Finland? All conflicts, even those territorial disputes in the mid-20th century, have long been buried." Putin hinted at trouble brewing along the reinstated Leningrad Military District, threatening to beef up forces there.
U.S. President Joe Biden's remarks on NATO and possible Russian aggression caught Putin's attention, which he dismissed as "hollow nonsense." He emphasized Russia's lack of intent to wage war against NATO countries while clarifying no territorial ambitions against these nations. Putin assured, "Our aim isn't to damage our relations; we're interested in developing them."
Finland, joining as NATO's 31st member in April, doubled the alliance's direct border stretch with Russia. Despite Putin urging NATO to halt expansion, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö announced in May that Finland would seek NATO membership, citing a war-altered security landscape.
Some months later, the Finnish government revealed plans to spend roughly $143 million constructing a fence along its 830-mile-long eastern border with Russia, an area that once lacked adequate security.
Finnish authorities closed its eastern border with Russia, citing a surge of migrants crossing illegally, only to reopen it shortly after, labeling the incident a 'hybrid Russian attack.' Finnish Premier Petri Orpo recently threatened Russia for pushing refugees towards the Finnish frontier under harsh winter conditions.
Finland, grappling with escalating border crossings, shuttered its eastern frontier anew this week. The international community monitors Russia's reactions to Finnish NATO membership closely as Finland shares an extensive 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia.
- "Die Welt" and Le Monde articles
- Data from FCMN (Finnish Customs and Border Guard)
- European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre (EU INTCEN) and private intelligence reports
- Nils Jansmåns & Jonas Bohlin, "NATO’s Bloody Border: the 1939-40 Winter War & the Struggle for Security in the Baltic Region," Hurst Publishers, 2021
