“If the military infrastructure of the alliance expands on the territory of Finland and Sweden, Russia will perceive this as a direct threat to its own security and will be obliged to respond,” Patrushev said in an interview with the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.
Earlier, Russia's Permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said that Finland's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance raises the question of the status of the Aland Islands and the fate of the Saimaa Canal.