Maria Zaharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was angry about Finland’s actions.
AOP
Maria Zaharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is angry about NATO’s exercises in Finland, the Russian news agency Tass reports. He commented on the matter by announcing that Russia is keeping an eye on them and assessing their possible risks.
Zaharova considers them to be “part of hybrid warfare against our country”. He says that Russia has repeatedly warned of increased risks related to NATO’s military activities in Finland.
– The war exercises of the aggressive military alliance near the Russian border are openly provocative, he said at a press conference held in connection with the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
– Military operations exercises on Finnish soil are part of hybrid warfare against our country.
Zaharova adds that as a result of this kind of activity, new threats are created for Russia’s security, shipping and economic activity. He says that after the risk assessment, the Russian armed forces will make “appropriate conclusions”.
Already earlier, Russia re-established the Leningrad military district in response to Finland’s NATO membership, Zaharova reminds. Countermeasures do not necessarily end there.
– Additional decisions to ensure the security of our country are made based on how the situation develops, he says and specifies that the Russian leadership is responsible for decision-making.
According to Tassi, Zaharova also pointed out that the previously stable Northern Europe is “now actively becoming an area of geopolitical confrontation”. According to him, comparisons with the situation 85–90 years ago are “absolutely correct”.
Track crisis
In addition to the NATO exercises, Zaharova also found fault with other activities in Finland. He accuses Finland of “spinning” the migrant crisis on the Russian border and “politicizing the problematic situation it has created”.
Zaharova was apparently commenting on statements made by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (Kok) at the end of August. According to Orpo, the opening of the eastern border requires that the Russian state gives guarantees that the Russian authorities will not allow migrants who lack the travel documents required to cross the border normally.
– It would require that we have such information that together with Russia we would be able to return to the routine at the border, and specifically at the border stations, where they only allow people whose travel documents are in order to cross the border, Orpo said at the time.
Finland will not open the eastern border unless Russia first gives the guarantees Orpo demands.
– As long as we do not have information about this, it is already an obstacle to it [rajan avaamiselle]he outlined.
According to Zaharova, there are people legally in Russian territory who want to leave Russia of their own accord in the direction they want. He accuses Finland of violating freedom of movement.
– What should we do with the fact that in this case Finland is violating all possible principles that guarantee people’s freedom of movement? he asks.
Finally, Zaharova considers it her business to remind Finland “of the existence of international laws and the need to comply with their provisions”.
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