Finland’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it had received a diplomatic note from Russia about an act of vandalism at its consulate on the demilitarized island of Åland in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden, Reuters reported.

Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest newspaper, says that police in Åland, the main island of the Åland archipelago, reported vandalism at the Russian consulate on Wednesday evening.

According to local police, the consulate mailbox and building window were damaged during the attack, with an unknown person or persons yanking the mailbox from its stand and throwing a beer bottle at the window, breaking it.

Police immediately rushed to the scene and searched the surrounding area for suspects, but local police chief Johan Pavli said officers were investigating the incident as a routine act of vandalism.

Finland suggests that Russia is turning a mosquito into a stallion

Finnish media say the case drew international attention after TASS, one of Russia’s state-run news agencies, reported the incident, claiming that a group of people threw an “explosive sound device” into the consulate’s courtyard and that it threatened “life and health.” yu” “diplomatic mission.

“So far, the information of the police contradicts what the Russian press said,” Helsingin Sanomat journalists also note.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, said that in the note, Russia demanded from the Finnish authorities to take measures to protect the consulate.

The Russian consulate in Mariehamn monitors compliance with the demilitarization of Åland Island, Moscow gets the right to open a diplomatic mission here through the peace treaty concluded after the Winter War (November 1939-March 1940).

Diplomatic incident after Zelensky’s visit to Finland

This is the first incident between Finland and Russia since the Scandinavian country joined NATO on April 4, and it happened right after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s surprise visit to Helsinki.

Speaking at a press conference together with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Zelenskyi said that one of the reasons for his trip to Helsinki was Ukraine’s desire to become a full member of the military alliance.

The President of Ukraine cited examples of military successes, which were later accompanied by new military aid to Ukraine.

“That’s why I’m sure we’ll have planes soon. Because soon we will be on the offensive, and after that, I’m sure, we’ll be given planes. I would prefer it to be the other way around, because it would be easier for us, but that’s the way it is, and we are grateful for everything,” the Ukrainian president said. “We need them. We really need them,” he emphasized, referring to the planes of the Western allies.

But Niinisto tempered his claims, saying that Finland could not donate US-made Hornet fighters because they were old, and in Europe only a few countries had similar models, so it did not make sense to build a service chain.

Zelensky will continue his diplomatic tour on Thursday in the Netherlands, where he is expected to speak in The Hague.

Putin said that Moscow is not worried about the accession of the northern countries to NATO

Finland officially submitted a request to start negotiations on NATO membership on May 15 last year in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sweden applied for membership a day after its northern neighbor.

Speaking of the two Nordic countries’ abandonment of their historic neutrality, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in late June that Russia would reciprocate with the same currency if NATO places military infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they join the military alliance.

At the same time, the head of the Kremlin made it clear that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is “no problem” for Russia. “We have no problems with Sweden and Finland, as with Ukraine,” Putin said at a press conference in Ashgabat during an official visit to Turkmenistan.

“If Finland and Sweden want, let them join. It’s their job, they can join wherever they want,” he added.

Earlier on May 14, Putin told Finnish President Sauli Niinisto that it would be a “mistake” for Helsinki to abandon its neutral status and join NATO. Putin also stated that there is no threat to Finland’s security, adding that a possible change in his foreign policy could negatively affect bilateral relations.

Both Finland and Sweden signed protocols on joining NATO on July 5 last year.

But Sweden’s accession is blocked by opposition from Turkey and Hungary, and talks with President Recep Erdogan’s government have stalled as Turkey prepares for legislative and presidential elections that could lead to a change of power in Ankara.

Russia’s “warning” after Finland’s entry into the alliance

Despite President Vladimir Putin’s assurances, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Hrusko said in Moscow’s first reaction to the formalization of the move that Russia would respond by strengthening its military capabilities in its western and northwestern regions.

“Part of the measures have already been announced. We will strengthen the military potential in the west and northwest. If forces and assets of other NATO countries are stationed in Finland, we will take additional measures to reliably ensure Russia’s military security,” Deputy Serhiy Lavrova said.

Former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in May last year that Finland does not want NATO to deploy nuclear weapons or establish military bases on its territory, even if it becomes a member of the alliance.

She clarified that the issue of placing nuclear weapons or opening NATO bases in Finland is not part of the negotiations on her country’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance.

“And I don’t even think that there is any interest in placing nuclear weapons or opening NATO bases in Finland,” the ex-head of the government from Helsinki emphasized.

A public opinion poll conducted earlier this year in Finland shows that almost half of Finns oppose the establishment of a NATO military base on national territory.

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