An explosive noise device and “other items” were thrown into the territory of the Russian consulate in Marienhamn on the Aland Islands belonging to Finland. This was announced by the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, the comment was published on the website of the ministry.
A note was sent to the Finnish Foreign Ministry demanding that measures be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of the consular staff.
According to Zakharova, the "act of vandalism" took place on May 1, but the statement was posted only on May 3. Zakharova claims that the consulate building suffered material damage, and the actions of a group of people posed a direct threat to the life and health of the Russian mission staff.
“We proceed from the fact that the Finnish side will duly fulfill its international obligations, including the special obligation stipulated by paragraph 3 of Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 to take all appropriate measures to protect consular premises from any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the consular post or insult to its dignity.”
In early April 2023, Finland officially became the 31st NATO member, more than doubling the total length of Russia's land border with NATO countries. 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. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov argued 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 this Moscow will be forced to take "countermeasures".
