Finland’s embassy in Moscow receives letter containing unknown powder: Reports

Russian news agencies claimed on Friday (April 14) that the Finnish embassy in Moscow had received a letter containing an unknown powder and had informed the Russian authorities about it.

Since Finland officially joined NATO on April 4, becoming the alliance's 31st member, relations between Moscow and Helsinki have deteriorated drastically.Finland shares a long land border with Russia.

Three envelopes were delivered to the embassy on Thursday, one of which had powder inside, according to the RIA news agency.

"In line with the security rules of the Finnish foreign ministry, the letters in question were handed to official representative organs of Russia which will study the matter," RIA quoted the embassy as saying.

As perthe embassy, it also alerted Russia's foreign ministry about the incident, reported Reuters.

The decision of Finland to join NATO put an end to seven decades of strategic non-alignment that had started after the nation repelled a Soviet invasion attempt during World War II. In the years following the war, it decided to keep cordial ties with Moscow.

However, Finland sought security under NATO's collective defence agreement after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which stipulates that an assault on one member is an attack on all members.

ALSO WATCH |Finland joins NATO, dealing blow to Russia for Ukraine war

On April 4, Finland formally joined the NATO military alliance. Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine the previous year served as the impetus for this.

The alliance, which promises in its charter that an attack on one of its members is an attack on all of them, has welcomed the Nordic country as its 31st member. It's an important turning point for Finland, which has long maintained its neutrality.

With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Stockholm of welcoming Kurdish militants and allowing them to protest on the streets, Sweden's application has so far come to a standstill. Sweden's membership has not yet been approved by Hungary.

(With inputs from agencies)

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