Finland and Sweden's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership move has increased tensions in the North...
While the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has increased the tension in the north, the NATO membership step of Sweden and Finland has increased the dimensions of the tension in recent days. After Russia's invasion attempt on Ukraine, Finland and Sweden frequently expressed their concerns about an invasion attempt against them. After these statements, the expected NATO move came from Finland. Just after Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin officially expressed their desire to become a member of NATO in their joint press statement, the ruling Social Democrats in Sweden announced that they would support the country's accession to NATO.
THE FINISH-RUSSIA WAR REMEMBERED
Moscow did not remain silent to the NATO move from Sweden and Finland. Kremlin's statement that "membership in NATO will have severe consequences" and the threat of nuclear border deployment on European borders, bringing to mind the Finnish-Russian War, which took place in 1939 and is known as the "Winter War" in history, caused comments of "Is history repeating itself?"
FINLAND AND RUSSIA FIGHTED 82 YEARS AGO
The Finnish-Russian War, known as the Winter War, started on November 30, 1939 between Finland and the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Second World War. Finland, which was a part of Tsarist Russia before the Soviet Revolution, gained its independence after the civil war after the Brest-Litovsk agreement. However, the geographical location of the newly established Finland had become the soft underbelly of the Soviets. Finland's nearness to St. Petersburg that name was Leningrad at that time, and controlling the Gulf of Finland was seen as a danger by the Soviet leader of the time, Stalin. Because Finland was in the anti-Soviet front.
RUSSIA HAS ATTACKED FINLAND ON THE PURPOSE OF BORDER SECURITY
During the Second World War, Stalin who concerned an attack on the Soviet Union came from here, ordered the Soviet army to invade Finland. Acting on this, the Soviet army started an invasion attempt, although there was no declaration of war against Finland. With the Moscow Treaty signed in the war that started on November 30, 1939 and lasted for 4 months, Finland had to leave a part of its territory to the Soviets.
FINLAND'S MEMBERSHIP TO NATO WILL MAKE THE BALTIC SEA A NATO SEA
82 years after the Finno-Russian War, the border security debate between Finland and Russia has come to the fore again. Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia today. If Finland is accepted, NATO's direct border with Russia will expand significantly. Previously, the border between Russia and NATO consisted only of the Baltic states, a very small region of Norway, and the Russian region of Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea. However, with Finland's membership in NATO, the Baltic Sea will almost turn into a NATO sea, and Russia's European border will be surrounded and cut down by NATO. All these developments experienced will draw the attention of the world to this region for a long time.