Finland announced on Wednesday that it will close the Russian consulate in Turku, in the southwest of the country, from October 1, reports AFP.

Finland officially became a member of NATOPhoto: Antti H’m’l’inen / AP / Profimedia

This decision is a response to the closure of the Finnish consulate in St. Petersburg, which Russia announced on July 6, explained in a press release from the office of the Prime Minister of Finland.

This move by Russia was revenge for the expulsion of nine Russian diplomats from Helsinki in June for their “intelligence” activities.

The future of the Russian consulate in Mariehamn on the island of Åland is also being discussed, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Relations between the two neighbors deteriorated sharply after Russia launched an offensive against Ukraine in late February 2022.

So much so that Finland broke decades of military non-alignment: in May 2022, it applied to join NATO, of which it officially became a member in April.