Russia Threatens With Countermeasures As Finland Joins NATO

Tuesday, April 4, marked a historic strategic shift for Finland as it formally joined NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Finland’s Strategic Shift

Finland and its neighbor Sweden halted decades of military non-alignment after Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine last year shattered Europe’s peace and stability.

As per NDTV reports, with the submission of its membership paperwork on Tuesday, Finland officially completed its historic strategic transition by joining NATO as its 31st member.

While Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO jointly last year, the Swedish application has been stalled by NATO members Turkey and Hungary.

As the conflict in Ukraine rages on with no end in sight, Finland’s inclusion in the alliance almost doubles the length of NATO’s border with Russia and strengthens its eastern flank.

Russia’s Retaliation

In retaliation to Finland’s decision to join NATO, Russia declared on Monday that it would increase its military might in its western and northwestern territories.

The NATO expansion, according to Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov, encroaches on Russian security and Russia’s national interests. He stated that Moscow would keep a sharp eye out for any NATO army bases in Finland.

The incident marked the end of a period of military non-alignment for Finland, which started after the nation rejected a Soviet Union invasion attempt during World War II but opted to retain good ties with neighboring Russia.

But, the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 drove the Finns to seek security under NATO’s collective defense agreement, which stipulates that an assault on one member constitutes an attack on all members.

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