Vladimir Putin is feared to have set his eyes on Finland and have launched a hybrid war against the newest NATO member.
This week, Helsinki announced it will completely shut its border checkpoints with Russia after accusing Moscow of sending waves of migrants its way from the Middle East and Africa. The Kremlin has denied any foul play.
Putin has been accused of using migrants as weapons in a hybrid war launched at the Finnish border as he continues to lay the groundwork aiming at opening new maritime trade routes which, among other benefits, could help Russia circumvent a potential NATO blockade, journalist Michal Kranz wrote.
A new maritime network would also be linked to beef up the security of the ice-free Arctic port of Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula hosting part of the Russian nuclear deterrence force and located not too far from north-east Finland.
Drawing a parallel with the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Mr Kranz wrote on UnHerd: “Russia’s geopolitical interests in the region are driven by the same strategic impetus as Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and its push to cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea in 2022: a desire to control crucial waterways that allow Russia to escape the prison of the Eurasian landmass.”
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