One of Russia's vice presidents, Vladimir Putin, warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden and Finland join a US-led military alliance then Russia will place nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in a spectacular location in the heart of Europe.
Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden are considering joining the NATO alliance. Finland will take a decision in the next few weeks, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday. Learn more
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of the Russian Security Council, said that if Sweden and Finland joined NATO Russia would have to strengthen its ground, naval and air forces in the Baltic Sea.
Medvedev also explicitly stated the nuclear threat that there would be no further talk of the Baltic "nuclear" - in which Russia has its own Kaliningrad alliance between Poland and Lithuania.
"There can be no more talk about the Baltic no nuclear weapons - the rest of the money must be returned," said Medvedev, Russia's former president from 2008 to 2012.
Medvedev said he hoped Finland and Sweden would see the point. If not, he said they would have to live with nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles near home.
Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal and, along with China and the United States, is one of the world's leading leaders in hypersonic missile technology.
Lithuania has said Russian threats are nothing new and Moscow had sent nuclear weapons to Kaliningrad long before the Ukrainian war. NATO did not immediately respond to Russia's warning. Learn more
However, the possible entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO - founded in 1949 to provide Western security against the Soviet Union - could be one of the major consequences of the Ukrainian war.
Finland gained independence from Russia in 1917 and fought two more battles against it during World War II when it lost its territory. On Thursday, Finland announced military exercises in Western Finland with the participation of Britain, the United States, Latvia and Estonia.
Sweden has not fought a war for 200 years. Foreign policy focuses on supporting democracy and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
KALININGRAD
Kaliningrad, a port in Koenigsberg, the capital of East Prussia, is located less than 1,400 miles [1,400 km] from London and Paris and more than 300 miles [500 km] from Berlin.
Russia said in 2018 it took the Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad, which was seized by the Red Army in April 1945 and handed over to the Soviet Union at the Potsdam conference.
Iskander, known as the SS-26 Stone by NATO, is a short ballistic missile system that can carry nuclear weapons. Its official distance is about 300 miles [500 km] but some Western military sources suspect that it may be too large.
"No sane person wants higher prices and higher taxes, increasing border conflicts, Iskanders, hypersonics and nuclear-armed ships away from their homes," Medvedev said.
"Let's hope that the common sense of our northern neighbors will succeed."
Although Putin is a prominent Russian leader, Medvedev's comments reflect the Kremlin's thinking and he is a senior member of the Security Council - one of Putin's main chambers for decision-making on strategic issues.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said Russia had installed nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad even before the war.
"Nuclear weapons have been stored in Kaliningrad ... the international community, countries in the region, are well aware of this," Anusauskas was quoted as saying by the BNS. "They use it as a threat."
Russia's invasion of February 24 in Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions from their homes and raised fears of widespread conflict between Russia and the United States - two of the world's largest nuclear powers.