Medvedev Warns: Finland Preparing for War With Russia

Medvedev, in his remarks, warned that following Finland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the country has pursued a hostile course against Moscow under the cover of defensive measures and is preparing for war with Russia.

According to Rokna, citing TASS, Medvedev wrote in a note: “After joining NATO, Helsinki, under the claim of defense, is practically creating a launch pad for an attack on Russia.”

The Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council also stressed that NATO is fully participating in this process and has expanded its presence across all operational domains in Finland, including land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

Medvedev went on to state that military activities have significantly increased on Finnish soil near the Russian border, noting: “The process of establishing NATO’s advanced ground forces command structure in the Lapland border region is underway, and in the event of a change in operational conditions, the number of forces stationed there could increase to 5,000.”

He also reported on the establishment of NATO’s ground forces command headquarters in the Finnish city of Mikkeli and added: “With new barracks being built near the Russian border, it is not necessary to explain against which country the operations of this command will be directed.”

According to Rokna, Medvedev had earlier, in reaction to the Paris summit attended by leaders of 35 member states of the “coalition of willing” in support of Ukraine, said: “Unfortunately, our neighbors—the Baltic states, Finland, Norway, and Poland—have intensified their military activity near our territory.”

The Russian politician further noted that he had recently visited his country’s border with Finland, where, even in the absence of military activity, walls, barriers, and other structures were being constructed at full speed.

He said: “Such infrastructure is also suitable for the deployment of military units.”

Medvedev recalled that three years ago, in August 2022, issues related to enhancing the security of Russia’s northwestern border were discussed in the context of NATO’s expansion. Since then, he added, many developments have taken place, and the head of government has issued directives to strengthen the protection of the state border in this region.

The Russian official stated: “Russia cannot ignore Finland’s membership in NATO; this requires changes in military approaches regarding border arrangements.”

At the same time, he stressed: “Russia does not threaten anyone and is not seeking to redraw borders.”