Russia planned to block the membership of Finland and Sweden in NATO, according to a secret report obtained by Finnish intelligence.
As reported by the Finnish public radio and television channel Yle, citing intelligence findings, Russia planned to prevent Finland and Sweden from joining NATO, “with particular emphasis on the latter country.” Moscow also planned to provoke violent and mass demonstrations in both countries.
The Kremlin’s goals included: causing and escalating the conflict between Turkey and European countries and NATO, and inciting fear of Islam. The released documents mention mass protests that reportedly broke out after the burning of the Quran in Sweden. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan subsequently stated that his country would not support Sweden’s application for NATO membership.
Secret documents have been leaked
Yle reporters received a report on the operation in France. It concerns a Russian action that was organized in the center of Paris in 2023. At the time, anti-Islamic and anti-Turkish demonstrations took place in the city.
The Finnish services do not provide information on operational activities. Yle reported that there was no evidence that Russia would carry out its plans on Finnish territory.
Finland in NATO
In May 2022, Finland and Sweden accelerated their application to join the North Atlantic Alliance, without implementing the Membership Action Plan. At the end of June, the leaders of the NATO countries officially invited both countries to join the Pact. Then the process of ratification of the relevant protocol by the parliaments of NATO member states began. All thirty countries have ratified the protocol on Finland’s accession to NATO. The last to do this were Hungary and Türkiye. Sweden is still waiting for Turkey’s consent.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin argued that Russia has “no problems” with Finland and Sweden, and that the entry of both countries into the North Atlantic Alliance does not pose a direct threat to the Kremlin. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia will strengthen its military capabilities in the western and northwestern regions in response to Finland’s accession to NATO.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
