Finland Afraid Of Russian Incursion, Scrambles To Consider NATO Membership

Claiming Russia's aerial incursions over Finnish territory prompt to test their reactions, Finish President Sauli Niinsito hinted maintaining a neutral stand with its close border neighbour may prove to be inadequate in these present times.

A report by the European Leadership Network earlier said Russia had close to 40 incidents of incursions and close encounters with other aircraft carriers that NATO had scrambled to protect its members. On its own, Finland responded with American-made F-18 Hornet fighter jets to intercept the Russian planes. Mr Niinsito believed their response was strong enough to ward off Russia's aggression. But the question still remains - will it be able to hold?

Mr Niinsito, in an interview with Washington Post, said each citizen on Finland is now trying to assess what exactly the Russian actions aim to convey. "Everything the Russians are doing, surely the Finns notice and think very carefully about what that might mean," he said.

The NATO membership long been dangling on Finland's head now seems to be more noticeable than ever. Alexander Stubb, Finnish Prime Minister, believed Russia would back off if the country becomes a member of NATO. The proposition seems to be growing among the public, but it still remains if the membership will indeed be its saving grace from Russia, with which it shares an 800-mile-long border.

The same public is anxious that joining NATO could all the more fuel Russia's serious desire to wreak havoc and chaos in Finland. The country has managed to stay out of NATO for the entire four decades of the Cold War.

Suffice to say, however, at present, it seems Finland is in a no-win situation here. Whether Finland joins NATO or not, the country is headed to "a terrifying direction," Elisabeth Rehn, a former Finnish defence minister in favour of joining NATO, told The Washington Post.

Sergei Markov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's senior political adviser, has earlier said Finland's joining NATO, as well as Sweden, could trigger World War III. He hinted the two countries' NATO membership will be considered a direct challenge in territory.