Current:Home > ScamsFinnish intelligence says Russia views Finland as a hostile nation due to its NATO membership-LoTradeCoin
Finnish intelligence says Russia views Finland as a hostile nation due to its NATO membership
View Date:2024-12-23 23:06:31
HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s relationship with Russia has significantly deteriorated due to the Nordic country’s membership in NATO and over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related sanctions, and Moscow now views its western neighbor as a hostile country, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service said Thursday.
The agency, known by the abbreviation SUPO, said in a national security review that Russia was “prepared to take measures against Finland” and was likely to continue influencing operations and undermining bilateral links.
After decades of military non-alignment, Finland — a European Union nation of 5.5 million people that shares a long border with Russia — became NATO’s 31st member on April 4.
Moscow’s hostility toward Helsinki is evident in Russian media’s negative coverage of Finland and in Russia’s decision to close Finland’s consulate general in St. Petersburg this month, among other ways, SUPO said.
“Russia currently remains focused on the war in Ukraine and on easing international isolation, but this does not mean that the threat of Russian intelligence and influencing in Finland has disappeared,” SUPO Director Antti Pelttari said in a statement.
“The accession of Finland to NATO, the continuation of the war in Ukraine, the deepening confrontation between Western countries and Russia, and increasing sanctions may strengthen Russian countermeasures against Finland,” he said.
During a news conference, Pelttari declined to say whether Russia could be behind a possible sabotage on an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. He said the involvement of a state actor cannot be ruled out in the case involving two NATO members.
The National Bureau of Investigation, a branch of the Finnish police, has launched a criminal investigation into possible sabotage of the 77-kilometer (48-mile) Balticconnector pipeline that was shut down over the weekend following a leak.
veryGood! (9444)
Related
- Pennsylvania House Republicans pick new floor leader after failing to regain majority
- ‘Ozempig’ remains Minnesota baseball team’s mascot despite uproar that name is form of fat-shaming
- The Daily Money: Sriracha fans say the heat is gone
- Trump asks appeals court to review ruling allowing Fani Willis to remain on Georgia election case
- 'I was in total shock': Woman wins $1 million after forgetting lotto ticket in her purse
- Convicted ex-New Orleans mayor has done his time. Now, can he get the right to carry a gun?
- Inside Princess Beatrice’s Co-Parenting Relationship With Husband’s Ex Dara Huang
- 'Cowboy Carter' collaborator Dolly Parton reacts to Beyoncé's 'Jolene' cover: 'Wow'
- Georgia public universities and colleges see enrollment rise by 6%
- Flying during the solar eclipse? These airports could see delays, FAA says
Ranking
- Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym After 3 Days
- Remains of 19-year-old Virginia sailor killed in Pearl Harbor attack identified
- Maryland to receive initial emergency relief funding of $60 million for Key Bridge collapse cleanup
- Midwest Maple Syrup Producers Adapt to Record Warm Winter, Uncertainty as Climate Changes
- Supreme Court seems likely to allow class action to proceed against tech company Nvidia
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard says she and her husband have separated 3 months after she was released from prison
- Could House control flip to the Democrats? Early resignations leave GOP majority on edge
- The Moscow concert massacre was a major security blunder. What’s behind that failure?
Recommendation
-
Shel Talmy, produced hits by The Who, The Kinks and other 1960s British bands, dead at 87
-
American tourist dies, U.S. Marine missing in separate incidents off Puerto Rico coast
-
Tracy Morgan clarifies his comments on Ozempic weight gain, says he takes it 'every Thursday'
-
Unsung North Dakota State transfer leads Alabama past North Carolina and into the Elite 8
-
Mother of Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym Details His Final Moments
-
Tori Spelling Files for Divorce From Dean McDermott After Nearly 18 Years of Marriage
-
Harvard says it has removed human skin from the binding of a 19th century book
-
New Jersey youth wrestling coach sentenced to more than 7 years in child sex abuse images case