Key Takeaways
- The Russian Air Force will improve the air defense capabilities on the border with Finland.
- Last week, Finland became the latest country to join the NATO
- The United States is investigating several leaked classified documents found online
YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — Last week, on April 4, 2023, Finland, which shares a 1,340 km (832 mi) border with Russia, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
The development, which Moscow sees as provocative expansionism, was sure to receive a response from the Kremlin. As a result, Russia now wants to increase its air defense capabilities near Finland.
In an interview, the Russian Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces confirmed that he would be looking to curtail NATO’s activities near its borders.
According to the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star), the official newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defence, Lieutenant General Andrei Demin claimed that the Russian Air Force would concentrate on bolstering the defenses on the northwestern border.
“In these circumstances, the air defense forces are working on the issue of protecting the country’s northwestern borders in response to the increasing threat level,” Demmin said, according to a Reuters translation.
Before Finland’s accession, Russia shared about 1,215 kilometers (755 miles) of land border with NATO. However, the development has more than doubled NATO’s land border with Russia.
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The Russian air force has learned from the Ukraine war
It has been more than a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. The Kremlin’s forces, however, have faced stiff resistance from the Ukrainian army, thanks to Western military support.
The Russian Air Force has also faced pressure from Ukraine. According to General Demin, they are now trying to incorporate the experience from the war in bolstering their air forces.
Moreover, the country has installed air defense units to ramp up its defenses, including over 50 mobile radar stations. In regions next to Ukraine, Moscow has bolstered missile and anti-aircraft installations, among other measures.
“The purpose of the upcoming changes is the development of the armed forces, aimed at improving the air defense system of the Russian Federation,”
Demin said.
The experience from the Ukraine invasion will help them better fend off any attack from NATO, Demin believes.
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United States investigating intelligence leak
According to reports, the United States Department of Defense is investigating the leak of several classified intelligence documents.
The interagency inquiry aims to find the person(s) responsible for the leaked files on Ukraine and several other countries. Moreover, the probe will determine if the leak has compromised the national security of the US or its allies.
“The Department of Defense continues to review and evaluate the appropriateness of photographed documents circulating on social media sites and believed to contain sensitive and classified material,”
the Department of Defense said in a statement.
Some of the classified documents have appeared online. They deal with various topics, including China, Israel’s Mossad spy agency, Saudi Arabia, etc. Given the details in the documents, experts suspect that the source of the leak could be American.
This is the biggest leak of American classified on the Ukraine war since Russia’s full-scale invasion last February.
In a big reveal, the documents show that the United States has been spying on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, through the war. Moreover, Washington has snooped on allies, including South Korea, to convince them to join the efforts in helping Ukraine.
Responding to the news, South Korea has declared they will take up the issue with Washington.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation.
