BLUF
Finland's accession to NATO may significantly impact Russia's Baltic Fleet, with NATO controlling over 80% of the Baltic Sea coastline and Russia only having 7%. As a result, Russia's Baltic Fleet will be bottlenecked, and new anti-ship weapons in the hands of NATO countries may impede its passage to the open ocean.Summary
Paul Goble writing in Eurasia Review makes the following points:
- Russia’s loss of unimpeded Baltic Sea access may be more consequential than its huge new land border with Finland.
- The Latvian foreign minister noted that “the Baltic Sea is becoming an internal NATO sea”.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
- RUSSIAN-UKRAINE CONFLICT—ARTICLES- The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
- Sweden's new submarine could shift balance of power in the Baltic Sea- The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
- NATO membership an existential imperative for Sweden and Finland- The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
References from the Web:
- FEB 2023 Finland starts construction of Russia border fence-BBC News
- APR 2023 Map shows how Russia's border with NATO more than doubles with Finland as a member-Business Insider
- Baltic Fleet-Military-History Fandom
