Recently, NATO finally ushered in the long-awaited good news: the obstacles to the accession of Finland and Sweden have been removed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the lifting of restrictions on the two countries' accession to NATO, making NATO officially expanded to the sixth round of members, and also means that the border between NATO and Russia is a reality. Although the accession of Finland and Sweden did not provoke mass protests from Russia, the Russian side even said that it would not take reciprocal measures as long as NATO did not deploy troops and permanent military bases in these countries. However, Finland's recent actions seem to challenge Russia's patience. The mayor of Lappeenranta, Finland, recently called for a NATO military base in the city to enhance security in the area and suggested that the Finnish Defense Forces build a dedicated airport there, sparking a fierce dispute between Russia and Finland.
It is worth mentioning that before joining NATO, Finland and Sweden had already put forward the requirements of the "Nordic model" to NATO, that is, NATO was not allowed to deploy nuclear weapons and permanent military bases on their territory. The aim of this strategy is to allay Russia's concerns about the two countries and hopefully pave the way for future Russian-Finnish cooperation. However, the appeal of the mayor of Lappeenranta, Finland, actually put the construction of a NATO military base on the agenda, which for Russia is tantamount to putting a knife in the neck.
From a geopolitical point of view, the city of Lappeenranta is located near the Russian-Finnish border, less than twenty kilometers from the border between the two countries. If NATO builds military facilities here, then important cities in western Russia will be within the range of NATO missiles. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, when asked about this, said that Russia already has plans and will not change its position on Finland and Sweden joining NATO. This calm response shows that Russia is ready.
While the construction of a NATO base in Lappeenranta, Finland, may put pressure on Russia, the base is not far from the Russian border, allowing Russian forces to quickly destroy the base and airfield if necessary. In addition, Russia has sent Iskander missile launch convoys to the border area, which puts NATO forces at great risk during the construction of the base.
In general, although Finland may decide to create a NATO military base at home, this does not pose a serious threat to Russia. If Finland drives NATO military bases to Russia's doorstep, World War III could break out in the region.