Russia moves missile systems, military equipment towards Finland border

LONDON: Russian heavy weapons, including missile systems, have been seen moving towards the border with Finland, hours after Russia warned its northern neighbour against joining NATO, media reports said.

An unconfirmed video uploaded last night appears to show two Russian coastal defence missile systems moving along a road on the Russian side of the border that leads to Helsinki, Daily Mail reported.

The missile systems are thought to be the K-300P Bastion-P mobile coastal defence system, designed to take out surface ships up to and including aircraft carrier battle groups.

The Russian deployment comes as Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she expects her government "will end the discussion before midsummer" on whether to apply for NATO membership, Daily Mail reported.

Recent opinions polls by a Finnish market research company put 84 per cent of Finns as viewing Russia as a "significant military threat", up by 25 per cent on last year.

In response to Marin's statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov euphemistically warned the move would "not improve" the security situation in Europe, and Russian lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov added more bluntly it would mean "the destruction of the country".

"We have repeatedly said that the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation and its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent," Peskov said. (IANS)

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