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Russia threatens nuclear escalation if Sweden and Finland join NATO World news

Russia has said “there will be no more talk of a Baltic without nuclear energy” if Sweden and Finland join NATO.

Such a development would double the length of the military alliance’s land borders with Russia, Moscow added. Finland has a border of 810 miles with its neighbor.

Sweden and Finland are reviewing their security measures following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Studies in both countries have shown support for joining NATO.

Image: Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow may have “more officially registered opponents.” File photo

But Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow would respond if that happened.

“We can no longer talk about the status of the Baltic Sea without nuclear energy – the balance must be restored,” he said.

“To date, Russia has not taken such measures and will not do so.

Referring to the land borders, Mr Medvedev said: “Naturally (they) will have to be strengthened.”

He added that Russia “will seriously strengthen the grouping of ground forces and the air defense (s) will deploy significant naval forces in the Gulf of Finland.”

Russia’s threats are “quite strange,” Lithuania said

In response, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvidas Anusauskas said Russia already has nuclear weapons in the Baltic region.

They are located in the Russian Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic Sea even before the invasion of Ukraine began, Mr Anusauskas told BNS.

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Kaliningrad is sandwiched between NATO members Lithuania and Poland and is just over 300 miles from Berlin.

“The current Russian threats seem rather strange when we know that even without the current security situation, they are keeping their weapons 100 kilometers from the Lithuanian border,” the minister said.

“Nuclear weapons have always been stored in Kaliningrad. The international community, the countries of the region are fully aware of this. They use it as a threat.”

When Russia “threatens”, this is “nothing new”, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonite told reporters.

Image: Russian officers remove camouflage from a Topol-12M mobile nuclear missile. File photo

Finland can join NATO “in weeks”

Finland gained independence from Russia in 1917 and waged two wars against it during World War II, when it lost part of its territory to Moscow. Sweden has not fought a war in 200 years.

Swedish and Finnish Prime Ministers Magdalena Anderson and Sanna Marin attended a joint news conference in Stockholm on Wednesday.

Ms Marin said Finland was ready to decide to join NATO “within weeks” after a wide-ranging debate in the 200-seat legislature of Eduskunta.

Mr Medvedev said Moscow would have “more officially registered opponents” if NATO accepted additional members.

Writing in the Telegram, he claims that NATO is preparing to accept Finland and Sweden with “minimum bureaucratic procedures”.

Russia’s response must be seen as “emotionless, cold-headed,” he continued.

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Mr Medvedev said Swedish and Finnish views on joining the alliance were “split in half” despite “maximum efforts by local propagandists”.

He also denied that the invasion of Ukraine had led to consideration of membership.

“Attempts to get involved in the alliance have been made before,” he said.