 Russia threatened Finland with military aggression. The Kremlin continues its intimidation rhetoric towards Finland which joined the North Atlantic Alliance. Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said that in the event of a confrontation with NATO, Finland could be the first to suffer according to Russian media. The high-ranking Russian diplomat justified these alarming remarks by citing the proximity of Finland whose border adjoins Russia. In an interview with the Russian propaganda outlet Ria Novosti, he expressed the opinion that Finland, which maintained a neutral status for decades, has turned into a state hostile to Moscow after becoming a member of NATO this year. They lived peacefully and suddenly they find themselves between Russia and NATO as a member of this alliance. But since they are our neighbors, if, God forbid, there is any escalation, they will be the first to suffer. Ulyanov said earlier the Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened Finland over the country's NATO accession, stating that he would deploy troops to the Finnish border. On December the 27th it became known that Russia would soon deploy its modern howitzers in its northern military district which borders Finland and Norway. The question of NATO expansion became relevant after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In April 2023 Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO. Sweden also plans to join the alliance but Turkey is currently blocking its membership.