Finland’s NATO membership: Russia will strengthen its military capabilities


Russia considers the enlargement of NATO to its borders as a fundamental threat to its security and intends to protect itself from an attack.





By JLB with AFP

Russia sees NATO expansion on its borders as a fundamental threat to its security
 © ALEXEY NIKOLSKY / SPUTNIK / AFP

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AT the day before Finland joined NATO, Russia took up arms. Moscow announced its intention to strengthen its military capabilities near Finland on Monday, April 3. “We will reinforce our military capacities in the west and in the northwest”, that is to say on the borders with Eastern Europe and Finland, indicated the Russian vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandre Grouchko.

“In the event of the deployment of forces and assets of other NATO members on Finnish territory, we will take additional measures to reliably ensure the military security of Russia”, he added, quoted by Russian news agency Ria Novosti.

A “fundamental threat to its security”

After the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine last year, Finland and Sweden decided to turn the page on their policy of military non-alignment in force since the 1990s by applying to join NATO in May 2022. Russia had assured in March that it did not represent a “threat” for the two Nordic countries and had “no dispute” with them.

Russia, however, considers the enlargement of NATO to its borders as a fundamental threat to its security, and Ukraine’s ambition to join the Alliance was one of the reasons put forward by Moscow to justify its attack on this country.

The new Russian diplomatic doctrine made public last week points to the West as an “existential threat” whose “domination” Moscow must fight.


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