- Russia threatened to deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltics if Finland and Sweden join NATO.
- Lithuania scoffed at the threat as Russia already has nuclear facilities in the region.
- Experts speak of an “empty threat” from Russia.
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Russia on Thursday threatened to deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltics if Finland and Sweden join NATO, despite already having such assets in the region.
“When Sweden and Finland join NATO, the length of the alliance’s land borders with the Russian Federation will more than double. Of course, these borders must be strengthened,” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said on Telegram.
“We can no longer speak of a nuclear-weapon-free status in the Baltic States – the balance must be restored,” said Medvedev, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas responded that the Russian threat was “pretty strange” as Russia currently has nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, according to Reuters. Kaliningrad lies between Lithuania and Poland, both NATO members.
“The current Russian threats look quite strange when we know that they keep the weapon 100 km from the Lithuanian border even without the current security situation,” he said.
“Nuclear weapons have always been kept in Kaliningrad… the international community, the countries of the region, are perfectly aware of that… They use it as a threat,” he added.
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) released satellite imagery in 2018, which it said showed “a major renovation of an apparently active nuclear weapons storage facility in the Kaliningrad region about 50 kilometers from the Polish border.”
Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister of Sweden, in a tweet said Medvedev’s warning was a “pretty empty threat” given the apparent presence of Russian nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad.
Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at FAS, also downplayed Medvedev’s nuclear threat and questioned the Russian politician’s suggestion that a “balance” must be restored if Finland and Sweden join NATO.
“What balance? Even if Finland/Sweden join, there will be no nuclear weapons in Eastern Europe,” Kristensen tweeted Thursday. “This is a good reminder that Russia is using nuclear weapons to compensate for what it sees as inferior conventional capabilities. Ukraine’s flop and NATO enlargement will likely reinforce that.”
Russia’s war in Ukraine has brought Finland and Sweden closer than ever to NATO membership. The leaders of both countries on Wednesday signaled a decision on whether membership in the alliance could be sought in the near future.