Polyanskiy: Deployment of NATO forces in Finland, Sweden can make them targets for Russia

Sweden and Finland joining NATO would turn them overnight from neutral into enemy countries and become a “target” for Russia, First Deputy Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said, Report informs referring to UnHerd News.

“They know that the moment they become members of NATO it will imply certain mirror moves on the Russian side,” he said. “If there are NATO detachments in those territories, these territories would become a target — or a possible target — for a strike.”

“NATO is a very unfriendly bloc to us — it is an enemy and NATO itself admitted that Russia is an enemy. It means that Finland and Sweden all of a sudden, instead of neutral countries, become part of the enemy and they bear all the risks. So they would bear certain defense risks of course, certain economic costs — but it’s up to them to decide… They were living normally as good neighbors with us for tens of years; if they suddenly choose to become part of a very unfriendly bloc, it’s up to them.

The diplomat implied, however, that Russia was not especially concerned about the decision, and that it didn’t change the security situation in Europe.

“I don’t think it will really be a blow to the security of Russia that these two states become members of NATO — hopefully they won’t but if they do it would be the worst solution for them, but not for Russia. Russia is ready to face NATO threats, Russia has made the necessary precautions for this. It doesn’t change very much the security situation in Europe, which is dominated and aggravated by the NATO threat to Russia for many years.”