Finland hints it may not dare to apply for NATO membership for fear of angering Russia and provoking cyberattacks
- President Sauli Niinistö said Russia could invade if Finland tries to join the alliance
- He predicted that Helsinki would face massive cyber attacks and a “strong” army response.
- Russia warns Finland not to provoke ‘harmful military consequences’
- The two countries share an 830-mile border and fought a brutal ground war in 1940, but Stalin’s men got bogged down and failed in a costly, months-long invasion.
Finland could face massive cyberattacks and even a Russian invasion if it tries to join NATO, the country’s president has warned.
President Sauli Niinistö said that Moscow would send “powerful” military forces into the country and “destabilize Finnish society” through cyber-hacking if Helsinki asked to join the Western military alliance.
Niinistö added: “We don’t even know all the possibilities of hybrid impact that someone can invent. The entire world of information technology is vulnerable.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö (right) met Boris Johnson (left) at number ten this month.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has taken a tough stance on Moscow and supports tougher sanctions.
If Finland joins NATO, it will become the sixth country with a land border with Russia.
Vladimir Putin expressed fear that NATO would encircle Russia, warning Finland and Sweden that their entry would face “military and political consequences.”
“Even some important functions of society can be disrupted.”
The president made the startling statement that a record majority of Finns now support NATO membership, despite Russia’s warnings against the idea.
At the beginning of this month, public support for Finland’s entry was 62%, compared to 53% at the start of Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Last month, Russian foreign affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Finland and Sweden risked “military consequences” if they applied to join NATO.
She said: “Finland and Sweden should not base their security on undermining the security of other countries.
“Their entry into NATO could have detrimental consequences and some military and political consequences.”
If Finland joins the alliance, it will become the sixth member of the alliance with a land border with Russia, which will further increase the Kremlin’s fears about the “encirclement” of NATO.
However, any potential offer by Helsinki to join NATO would not be a presidential decision.
Although technically the President of Finland is in charge of foreign policy, this role is now largely constitutional.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who has advocated for tougher sanctions against Moscow and said Finland’s position on NATO would “change” as a result of the war in Ukraine, is far more likely to lead any possible Finnish proposal.
Marin’s hardened view of the Kremlin has made her one of the most uncompromising leaders in the West.
She has repeatedly refused to rule out Finland’s bid to join the alliance, unlike Ukrainian President Zelenskiy.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has repeatedly refused to rule out joining NATO.
Finland and Russia waged a short but bloody war in the winter of 1939-1940 at a temperature of -43°C.
What unites Finland and Ukraine is their rocky relationship with Russia: Finns take pride in defending their country from Stalinist aggression in the Winter War of 1939 and 1940.
Facing an invasion by up to 750,000 Soviet troops in -43°C temperatures, a half-sized Finnish army held off the Russian invasion for three months until it agreed to a ceasefire.