In the Russian media, the United States is marching Finland on NATO, Russia itself has done nothing wrong

The NATO positions of the Finnish state leadership do not seem to have caused any explosion in the Russian media landscape.

Part of the reason is that comments from official Russia have been quite welcome. It was not surprising that the Russian administration considers Finland’s accession to NATO a threat and that it intends to respond with military and other measures.

Russia has not said what the military measures would mean in practice. This could mean, for example, the deployment of nuclear weapons in the Baltic Sea region.

However, in an article by the state news agency RIA Novost about the meeting of the National Security Council, the language seems to be hardening. A worrying word pair of existential threats emerges.

According to RIA Novost, the accession of Sweden and Finland to the Kremlin was called a threat to the country’s existence.

Vice – Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stated that Russia must be prepared for NATO’s aggressive action as it seeks to expand its presence on Russia’s borders, RIA Novosti says (you will switch to another service).

It is unclear from the article who exactly spoke of an existential threat. The Kremlin itself would refer to the president Vladimir Putin, but the words may be from Medvedev’s mouth. Medvedev, who was profiled as a liberal technocrat in his previous career, has performed as a hawk during the Ukrainian war.

Interfax’s news of the same meeting does not mention an existential threat.

Back in early April, Putin’s representative Dmitry Peskov said that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO would not pose a threat to Russia’s existence.

It seems that the media loyal to the Kremlin is trying to maintain the reputation of the regime. Finland’s and Sweden’s aspirations to NATO cannot be considered a real foreign policy victory for the Kremlin.

The Russian state television’s Vesti newscast at 8 pm on Thursday night further rejected the idea that any action by Russia could have caused a change of direction in Finland and Sweden.

– In both Sweden and Finland, where the majority never longed for NATO, public opinion has now fluctuated sharply as reported. It is said that due to the situation in Ukraine, the reporter Alexander Hristenko said (you switch to another service).

– They can talk anything, but the shaping of the two countries began long before 2014, Senator of the Upper House of the Russian Parliament, the Federal Council Andrei Klimov comments.

According to Senator Klimov, the United States is working to secure a military presence in the Arctic and has therefore decided to become a NATO ally of Sweden and Finland.

– If there were no Ukraine, something else would be invented, Klimov said.

Russia’s leadership is perceiving the world through power struggles, and in that world, the United States is distracted by all the events that are hostile to Russia.

In that picture, Russia is not really an active actor itself, but always just reacts to insults and humiliations.

On the other hand, Kommersant, known as a quality magazine, headlined its news: It was driven to NATO. It is not clear from the title who drove, but it can be deduced from the story.

– In January, only 28 per cent of Finns were in favor of joining NATO (according to an opinion poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat). But the situation changed radically with the launch of a Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine: according to recent polls, 76 per cent now want NATO ”. Yelena Chernenko write In a merchant’s case (you switch to another service).

Vest’s Thursday night news finally progressed on Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO intentions to cover protests in NATO countries and eventually turns to a familiar historical policy: the Latvian parliament has approved the demolition of the World War II Soviet monument in Riga.

The monument has long been the subject of controversy, where it represents liberators in Russia, in Latvia it is a memory of the Soviet occupation.

– There are fewer and fewer monuments to those who saved Europe from Nazism. And coincidentally, there is also little left of the European security architecture, Vest’s journalist Hristenko summed up.

Under Putin, World War II and the victory over Nazi Germany have been sanctified as a central pillar of national ideology. An important part of this ideological work has been the quarrel over the interpretation of history with the countries of the former Soviet republics and the former Eastern bloc.

The image is being spread in the Russian media that the enormous suffering and sacrifices of the Russians in World War II are being downplayed and nullified.

The news presenter said Erdoğan used a circular design that this “does not have a positive attitude”. The story goes that the U.S. State Department has already demanded that the Turkish president clarify his position.

It is reported that the President of the United States called the Prime Minister of Sweden and the President of Finland.

– And they hardly talked about the economic implications of joining NATO. There are already fears in Northern Europe that not only Finland will lose its access to Russian gas and electricity, the supplier said Alexei Golovko decided.

The busiest language is usually found in television talk shows such as Vladimir Solovyovin programs and one from a more bizarre website.

A model example of a hard language site is Tsargrad, who connects with a businessman To Konstantin Malofeyev. Known as a steep Orthodox, Malofeyev is known for dragging volunteers to war in eastern Ukraine.

In this article, the explanation is the same: the United States is putting pressure on Finland. Igor Pshenychnikov writes: “The country could not withstand the pressure from Washington and its closest ally, London. And it broke. ”

The site is already painting a picture of the war with NATO.

– The withdrawal of Finland and Sweden to NATO … may be a direct sign that the United States and NATO will not rule out a direct military confrontation with Russia, including in northern Europe, in the near future, Pshenichnikov wrote.

He described Finland, Sweden and Norway as powerful military fists in the Baltic, North Sea and Barents Seas. On the other hand, the author of Tsargrad praises the power of Russia’s northern navy.

You can discuss this topic until Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 11 p.m.