Employees of the Russian border service, which is part of the FSB, began to interrogate Finns entering Russia about the purpose of the visit and their attitude towards military service in their homeland after Finland joined NATO. It is reported by broadcasting corporation YLE.
The journalists found out that in April there were at least four cases of interrogations at the Russian border checkpoint Brusnichnoye in the Leningrad region, the Finns who were interrogated refused to disclose their names, as they were afraid of further problems with the Russian authorities. After interrogation, they were allowed to enter, the text says. At the same time, until April 4, when Finland joined NATO, no such practice of additional interrogations was reported.
According to one of the Finns, who was interrogated on May 15, the worker picked up a smartphone and said his name after the passport had passed through an automatic reader. According to the man, shortly after crossing the border, he was taken to the main building of the border checkpoint in Russia for questioning. He was interrogated by a man in civilian clothes, he was especially interested in the Finn's connections with the Finnish Defense Forces, his rank, whether he served in the army. The border guard also asked what contacts the Finns have with Russia and what they do when they visit the Russian Federation.
“It was not a quiet interrogation, but there was no pressure,” said one of the Finns.
On April 4, Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO, as a result, the total length of Russia's land border with the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance has more than doubled. Military experts told The Insider that Russia's defense strategy may change as the country perceives NATO expansion as a threat, but Finland's decision only strengthened regional security.
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Grushko stated that Russia intends to "strengthen its military potential in the western and north-western direction." Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Finland's entry into NATO "is another aggravation of the situation" and "an encroachment on the security of the Russian Federation," in response to which Moscow will be forced to take "countermeasures."