Researcher on Russia’s possible intentions to change maritime borders: “It would cause a crisis between Finland and Russia” | Foreign countries

With its announcement, Russia is trying to cause confusion and uncertainty, according to the researchers interviewed by .

With its intention to change territorial water boundaries in the Baltic Sea, Russia has already succeeded in causing confusion and uncertainty. In this case, this is probably a short-term goal for Russia, which has announced that it will go to war not only with Ukraine but also with the West in general.

This is the opinion of the director of the Aleksanteri Institute Markku Kangaspuro In an interview with .

– Here, Russia is sending a message that if action is taken against them, they too have the means to cause instability and insecurity in our direction.

Kangaspuro emphasizes that there is still no more detailed information about what Russia’s intentions mean in practice. It is unclear whether Russia intends to make changes in its own territorial waters, or whether its intended changes will be directed at the borders against Finland and Lithuania.

– If the question is about the sea border between Finland and Russia, then of course it cannot be done with a unilateral declaration and decision, says Kangaspuro.

– Such an effort would cause a crisis between Finland and Russia and create a tool that can be used to maintain long-term tension. The situation would of course be very difficult at that point.

Russia’s announcement of a unilateral maritime border change can only be a test of how Finland reacts to such a situation, estimates the professor of interdisciplinary border studies at the University of Eastern Finland Jussi P. Laine Up in the morning.

– The media value can be greater than the practical value, says Laine.

He emphasizes that the information is currently quite limited, so it is difficult to make a more precise interpretation. According to Laine, moving the sea border can be seen as an example of the fact that there are many ways of hybrid influence.

– We cannot put all the bangs in order to curb one problem, but there must be comprehensive preparation for the current unclear and uncertain situation.

The news is updated.