MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. The Russian-Finnish border is becoming an area of potential escalation of tensions between the two countries after Helsinki joins NATO, Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov said in an interview with TASS.

"Finland’s accession to NATO has fundamentally altered the strategic situation in northern Europe. The border between our countries, which is more than 1,300 km, which we until recently rightfully called the territory of good neighborliness and cooperation, has turned into a line of confrontation, as a result of which a previously stable region is now becoming a zone of potential escalation," the diplomat said.

Kuznetsov noted that Finland is boosting its participation in the bloc’s structures "focused on military, logistical, and information warfare" with Russia.

Sweden and Finland submitted their applications to join the North Atlantic Alliance on May 18, 2022. Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023.