SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, March 6. /TASS/. The facilities in Northern Europe hosting US nuclear weapons will be included in the list of legitimate military targets under a scenario of a direct military clash between Russia and NATO, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival.

"One does not have to be a military strategist to realize that such facilities will represent a source of direct threat and, naturally, will inevitably be included in the list of legitimate targets under a scenario of a direct military clash between our country and NATO," Zakharova said, while commenting on Finnish President Alexander Stubb's statements that his country "must have a real nuclear deterrent."

Zakharova warned that if US nuclear weapons were deployed to Northern Europe, "the security of the countries hosting these weapons will by no means get stronger, but on the contrary be harmed."

She expressed the certainty that the Finnish leader had not informed his voters about the military-strategic implications of such a decision.

"To what extent the people of Finland are aware of the risks they will have to face is a big question. Such a decision will really change a lot in the context of that country’s security and other issues relevant for that state," Zakharova pointed out.

At the same time, she stated, it is the scenario of a military confrontation between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance that "the United States and its satellites are heading for."