‘Second Ukraine’ is a NATO member, says executive summary

Andrei Gorolyov, a former Russian military commander and current lawmaker, suggested on Russian state television that NATO member Finland could be Vladimir Putin’s next target after Ukraine. The former head of the Southern Military District made his comments on Russia-1 television, and an excerpt of them was published on the X social network by Francis Scarr, a journalist from BBC Monitoring.

Russian MP Andrey Gorolyov says Finland is turning into a ‘second Ukraine’ and claims Finns have growing territorial claims in Petrozavodsk pic.twitter.com/m81V10bemy

– Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) October 24, 2023

“Russian MP Andrei Gorolyov noted that Finland is turning into a ‘second Ukraine’ and stated that the Finns have increasing claims to Petrozavodsk,” Skar wrote.

The city of Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Russian Republic of Karelia, is located about 175 kilometers from the border with Finland. Last September, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported that Moscow was working to develop its military base in Petrozavodsk. “We understand very well that they are turning Finland into a second Ukraine. “It is impossible not to notice these processes,” Gorolyov accused. “Today anger is rising in Finland. I gave my advisor specific instructions to know what Finns write, and it was terrible. “They say with joy that Petrozavodsk is ours.”

Agentstvo, an independent Russian research magazine, noted that a new presidential decree indicates that Moscow may be preparing for a confrontation with Finland and the Baltic states. According to the publication, the Russian Defense Ministry has prepared a presidential decree that would deprive the Russian Northern Fleet of its status as a “multi-type strategic regional association.” This means that it will transfer its four component regions – the Komi Republic, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk Oblast, and Nenets Autonomous Okrug – to the reformed Leningrad Military District.

The move, according to Russian military analyst Yuri Fedorov, indicates that Russia is preparing for potential conflicts with the Baltic states and NATO, as the Leningrad Military District, near Finland, is a key component of Russia’s armed forces, which oversees parts of the country. Defense strategy in the western region of Russia.