Nato member Finland says Russian ship sailed into its waters in territorial breach
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A Finnish border guard patrolling the border with Russia near Hoilola village in eastern Finland.
PHOTO: REUTERS
COPENHAGEN – Finland said a Russian ship is suspected of a territorial violation in the eastern Gulf of Finland, the latest in a string of border breaches by Moscow.
The suspected breach of the Nordic nation’s waters occurred on the afternoon of July 26 and is under investigation by the Border Guard, according to a statement by the Defence Ministry.
No details were given on the vessel.
Territorial violations can be part of a toolkit – known as hybrid warfare – intended to put pressure on governments and scare citizens.
Generally falling short of conventional attacks that could trigger Nato’s collective response, various hybrid attacks have grown in frequency since Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine in early 2022.
In Finland, the previous incident took place in June, when four Russian state aircraft entered the nation’s airspace.
Finland, which joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in April 2023, has also seen multiple commercial aircraft prevented from landing at small airports because of interference with the Global Positioning System.
Its 1,300km border with Russia, which makes up half of Nato’s eastern flank, has been closed to all road traffic since late 2023, after Russia began transporting migrants to the border to put pressure on Helsinki.
The government has responded by beefing up its already strong military, passing legislation that allows the border guards to push back migrants under exceptional circumstances and bans property purchases if national security is considered to be at risk. BLOOMBERG
