Photo credit: Vyacheslav Alekseevich Nikonov / Council.gov.ru / en.wikipedia.org (CC BY 4.0)
Russia will definitely respond to Helsinki's decision to join NATO, Vyacheslav Nikonov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, the head of the board of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, is sure.
In this case, the Russian border with NATO will increase by 1,300 kilometers. This may pose a serious problem, Nikonov believes.
The deployment of troops will be changed in this case. Kronstadt will certainly turn into a full-fledged fortress, equipped with completely different types of weapons.
It is clear that there will be a response to the deployment of any NATO forces, primarily American ones, Vyacheslav Nikonov is sure. If nuclear weapons are placed on Finnish territory, it will become a legitimate target for a possible nuclear strike, the politician said.
Nikonov is sure that the Finnish authorities took the initiative to join NATO under the influence. ''The guys are taking risks, but we know that the decision on who will join NATO is made not in Helsinki, not in Stockholm, but in Washington. If they are said to join it, then they will join it'' Nikonov summed up.
Russkiy Mir
