RUSSIA has issued a chilling nuclear warning as Finland prepares to officially join Nato today.
Moscow’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Belarusian military aircraft have been upgraded to launch nuclear strikes.
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Belarusian aircraft has now been upgraded to carry nuclear warheads[/caption]
Finland’s historic entry into the military alliance is taking place today[/caption]
He told a conference at the military department: “Some of the Belarusian ground attack aircraft have gained the ability to strike at enemy targets with nuclear-armed weapons.
He said that some Belarusian military jets were now capable of carrying nuclear warheads and that Iskander rocket systems had been transferred to Belarus, which could be used to carry conventional or nuclear missiles.
Shoigu also said that Finland’s entry into the military alliance and Nato‘s move to increase its combat readiness has increased the risk of conflict.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Finland’s membership reflects the alliance’s anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons Nato allies place there.
“We will closely monitor what will be going on in Finland and how Nato will use the territory of Finland for the deployment of weapons, equipment and infrastructure next to our border that would potentially threaten us.
“Measures will be taken dependent on that,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
The stark message comes on the same day as Finland’s historic entry into Nato.
Finland becoming the 31st member of the military alliance is a direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the secretary general of Nato Jens Stoltenberg said before adding that Sweden will also become a full-fledged member.
Finnish and Nato flags fluttered at the courtyard of the Foreign Ministry in Helsinki, Finland, ahead of accession to Nato- a heavy blow to Vladimir Putin.
The country’s Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen told public broadcaster YLE on arriving in Brussels: “Until now, we have defended our country alone.
“From now on, we can rely on getting outside help should things get tough. And of course, we are ready to help should someone be in trouble.”
Finland’s accession to Nato ends decades of the country’s military non-alignment.
The long-awaited admission comes after both Finland and Sweden applied to join the alliance almost 12 months ago.
It was hampered by a refusal to ratify the application by Hungary and Turkey, both of whom relented last week.
The move will roughly double the West’s transatlantic frontier facing Moscow as Finland and Russia share a painful 810-mile border with one another.
Professor Michael Clarke, from the University of Exeter’s Strategy and Security Institute, said the move will have a “dramatic effect” and “will become a “political headache for any leader in Moscow.”
He said: “This is the most significant enlargement and military enhancement of NATO since German re-armament in 1955, and it is likely to have a dramatic effect.
“It adds weight to Nato’s emerging political and military re-orientation towards the north of Europe and the Atlantic.
“After almost 80 years of strict neutrality, Finland will be a very consequential member of the alliance and add considerable military depth to Nato’s defensive posture in the Baltic.
“It will be another political headache for any leader in Moscow contemplating military pressure against NATO Europe.
“And in the awful event of a general European war, it would leave Russia’s northern flank wide open to an effective attack from Scandinavia.
“This vulnerability now confronts any Russian leader for the next several decades. And Putin has brought it all on Russia by embarking on his crazy war of aggression against a neighbour at the other end of the continent.
“That’s statesmanship and strategy of the most perverse kind.”
Nato’s move has angered Russia which vowed to “strengthen our military potential in the western and northwestern direction”.
Alexander Grushko, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, told state media Nato’s expansion called for “additional steps to reliably ensure Russia’s military security.”
The mounting pressure from Nato became the main topic of Russia’s TV program 60 Minutes and was lambasted by pundits.
Dmitry Abzalov said the situation involving Finland was a “mess” and “already out of our hands”.
Olga Skabeyeva, Russia-1 host, went a step further and claimed the Finnish territory as “our historical land” and called for Russia to take action over Finland’s looming membership.
She said: “We have to liberate the brotherly Finnish people.”
It follows last year’s claims that the Kremlin would take “adequate countermeasures” and would send 12 units and divisions to its western military district.
Despite the hostile warning, Finland is expected to join the alliance today – which has been hailed by the Nato chief.
Finland will become the sixth Nato nation to share a border with Russia, joining Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland.
The Finnish contribution will add more than 257,000 troops to the combined forces.
Category: News, World News, NATO, Nuclear Weapons
