On the very day that Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO, the Western defense alliance, Russia comes with new threats.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dimitrij Peskov said on Tuesday that Russia is now forced to introduce “countermeasures” to ensure the country’s security following Finland’s accession, Reuters reports.

According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, membership creates a risk of a significant extension of the conflict.

Finland, along with Sweden, moved away from its long-standing line of neutrality after Russia went to war with neighboring Ukraine more than a year ago.

The Nordic country has a border of more than 1,300 kilometers with Russia. By comparison, the border between Norway and Russia is just under 200 kilometers long.

Just before Shojgu’s statement, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told the press gathered at the headquarters in Brussels that Russia itself had triggered NATO’s expansion.

– President Putin’s stated goal was to achieve a smaller NATO with the invasion of Ukraine. Now he gets exactly the opposite… Finland today, and soon Sweden will also become a full member of the alliance.

The Russian Defense Minister also said that the Belarusian army received the Iskander-M missile system, capable of launching conventional and nuclear missiles, writes Kremlin-controlled Ria Novosti.

While NATO chief Stoltenberg reiterated on Tuesday that the alliance has so far seen no change in Russia’s nuclear stances.