Nato Doubles Length Of Its Russian Border As Finland Becomes 31st Member State

Furious Moscow warns: History will judge this hasty step’

- Liam James & Alastair Jamieson

A historic realignment of Europe triggered by Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine was cemented yesterday as Finland became the 31st member of Nato, dealing a major blow to Moscow. Its accession roughly doubles the length of the border that Nato shares with Russia to 2,500km (1,600 miles) and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.

Finland had been neutral after its defeat by the Soviet Union in the Second World War but Mr Putin's February 2022 invasion led to a rapid rethink. "The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end – a new era begins," president Sauli Niinisto said before his country's flag was raised outside Nato headquarters in Brussels.

Finland says it can muster a 280,000-strong fighting force, built on near-universal male conscription and a large, well-trained reserve, equipped with modern artillery, warplanes and tanks. The country of 5.5 million joined the European Union in 1995. It is a strategic and political defeat for Mr Putin, who has long complained about Nato's expansion toward his territory and partly used it to justify his invasion. The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.