Finland joins NATO bloc in historic shift

Potent military

Finland stayed out of NATO throughout the Cold War.

Now its membership brings a potent military into the alliance with a wartime strength of 280,000 and one of Europe's largest artillery arsenals.

And its strategic location bolsters NATO's military power on a border running from the Baltic states to the Arctic.

Moscow also replied with Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko saying that Russia would bolster military forces in its west and northwestern regions, if it felt the need.

If "forces and resources of other NATO members are deployed in Finland, we will take additional steps to reliably ensure Russia's military security," he explained.

NATO membership after so many years of nonalignment completes a flurry of political activity in Finland, after a general election at the weekend that saw left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who was a strong supporter of the membership application, beaten, although the election campaign was largely fought on domestic issues, with NATO membership being supported across the political spectrum.

Agencies via Xinhua contributed to this story.