Russia threatens Finland over deployment of NATO nuclear weapons

 Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Helsinki, Pavlo Kuznetsov, said that Moscow "will not leave unanswered" the probable deployment of NATO nuclear weapons on the territory of Finland.

"Today, only 20% support the possible placement of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory, and about 40% of the population support their transit through Finland. Finns cannot fail to realize that such a serious provocative step will not remain without a response from the Russian side," Kuznetsov said, writes The Moscow Times.

According to him, in the spring of 2025, the Finnish government will begin consideration of a bill to amend the law on nuclear energy and repeal the rule prohibiting the importation of nuclear weapons into the country.

The Russian ambassador emphasized that the Russian Federation, they say, will not be able to respond to possible decisions of the Finnish government in this area. He noted that the document will be considered for a long time.

And he added that "Finland joined the war party before the victory over Russia", and after the official Helsinki joined NATO, the border turned into a zone of "potential escalation".

Kuznetsov said that "Russia will not leave unanswered the development of the alliance's military potential near its borders." He promised an adequate reaction, at the same time adding that "it is not necessarily symmetrical", which comes from the interests of "national security".

Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen noted at a meeting of NATO representatives in Brussels that Putin and Sergei Shoigu threatened to create problems for Finland in order to take revenge for the country's accession to NATO and increase the military presence near its borders.

Previously, Russia always had troops stationed along and near the Finnish border, Valtonen noted.

"But the border has never been as empty as it is now. Obviously, because Russian troops are busy elsewhere," the minister said in response to questions from Russian journalists, alluding to Ukraine.

In December 2023, Putin, announcing the creation of the Leningrad Military District, said that Finland had no problems with Russia, but "now they will." He promised to "concentrate certain military units there."