In early September, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, published a column accusing Finland of “Russophobia,” war crimes during World War II, and pushing the country toward “the collapse of statehood.”
His rhetoric echoed Moscow’s propaganda before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Medvedev even visited the Russian-Finnish border before releasing his statement, signaling that it was not a personal outburst but a Kremlin-approved message.
“Why then did the Finnish criminals, unlike the Nazis, not suffer the deserved punishment for their atrocities? Only thanks to the political will of the USSR did representatives of the military-political authorities of Finland not end up in Nuremberg, and the trials of a number of their leaders were held in Suomi itself. Given that after the war Finland pursued a balanced line based on the principles of military non-participation, the topic of the crimes of the Finns did not arise between us. The USSR sincerely believed in the need to pursue a good-neighborly policy in the name of transforming the Baltic Sea zone into an area of ”cooperation,” Medvedev wrote.
While one might observe humor in the former Russian president’s unkind words and distorted facts, which highlight the degradation of Russian expertise and Medvedev’s alleged alcohol addiction, it is important to recognize that these issues are overshadowed by the well-thought-out and aggressive actions of a huge, aggressive, and dangerous country.
Since joining NATO in 2023, Finland has transformed from a neutral neighbor into a strategic adversary of Russia.ession increased NATO’s land border with Russia by 1,340 kilometers, forcing Moscow to revive the Leningrad Military District and hold large-scale exercises on its northwestern flank.
The Ukrainian aspiration of potential accession to NATO formally became the excuse for the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, and in December 2021, Putin actually presented NATO with an ultimatum to roll back the Alliance to its borders of the late 1990s.
For the Kremlin, Finland is not only a military challenge but also a symbol of successful Western integration—the very path Ukraine follows.
Medvedev portrayed Finland as responsible for the siege of Leningrad and concentration camps in Karelia while conveniently omitting the USSR’s invasion of Finland in 1939, known as the Winter War.
He insisted that Finland escaped post-war punishment only thanks to Soviet “goodwill.” This selective memory serves a political purpose: to brand today’s Finnish government as heirs of “fascists” and justify Russia’s aggressive stance.
The timing of Medvedev’s threats coincides with Russia’s airspace violations over the Baltics and drone provocations against Poland and Romania. Analysts note that these actions aimed less at launching a real northern offensive and more at testing NATO’s defenses, probing reactions, and intimidating Finland into reducing its support for Ukraine.
“Russia has no reason, no interest—no geopolitical interest, neither economic nor political nor military—to fight with NATO countries,” Putin claimed in 2023.
A year and a half after these words of Putin, Russia, which he still leads, launches swarms of drones into Poland to confirm its assumptions about the erosion of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty on mutual assistance of NATO countries in the event of aggression. Medvedev is already directly threatening the Alliance member with the loss of statehood:
“The Russophobic actions of the Stubb administration (the president of Finland) irrationally push the country into the abyss of a possible military conflict, making their logic difficult to understand. Recently, the Finnish president said that his country supposedly “defeated” the Soviet Union in 1944 because it “preserved its independence.” To make it even more absurd, he added that Ukraine is supposedly “in a better position” than Finland was at that time. While building a new “Mannerheim Line” in a fit of revanchism, the main thing for the Finnish establishment is not to forget that confrontation with us could lead to the collapse of Finnish statehood forever,” Medvedev threatened.
On September 16, Putin (who arrived at the end of the Zapad-2025 exercises) reported that 100,000 military personnel and 10,000 units of equipment took part in the exercises in Belarus. What is all this for? Currently, the countries of Northern Europe are probably better than anyone else at realizing the level of the threat and preparing for it. And they are doing the right thing by preparing for a possible Russian invasion. This is due to the clear and present nature of the threat.
President Alexander Stubb has firmly rejected Russian intimidation. On September 11, during a joint appearance with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, he pledged continued military and political support for Ukraine.
Finland is doing a lot to help Ukraine and is an important and consistent ally of the Ukrainian resistance to Russian war aggression. Finland’s voice is very powerful; the country’s President Alexander Stubb spoke to the US President Trump to convince him not to make any concessions after his meeting with Putin in Alaska.
“We may be a small country, but we have a long border with Russia, over 800 miles. And, of course, we have our own historical experience of relations with Russia, starting with World War II, the Winter War, and the Continuation War… We found a solution in 1944, and I am sure that we will be able to find a solution in 2025,” Alexander Stubb explained to Trump the need to solve the Russia problem.
Finland’s security policy is highly proactive. The country maintains a robust conscription system, invests heavily in air defense and border protection, and has integrated new NATO capabilities on its territory. Reservist training has intensified, with women increasingly joining since 2022. At the same time, Finland is adopting Ukrainian expertise in countering drone warfare.
Behind Medvedev’s dramatic words lies Russia’s clear attempt to repeat the Ukraine scenario: escalate rhetoric, deny history, and test NATO’s unity. For now, Finland looks resilient. But the Kremlin’s hybrid tactics—disinformation, military provocations, and psychological pressure—remain an ongoing threat to Northern Europe.
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