Kremlin claims latest NATO members are automatically targets for Russia

Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has issued threats against countries that have recently joined NATO, claiming they have automatically become targets for the Russian armed forces, "including potential retaliatory strikes and even nuclear components".

As reported by Kremlin-aligned news agency TASS, Medvedev said that countries such as Finland and Sweden, before joining NATO, enjoyed "certain international privileges due to their geopolitical position and many other factors".

"But now they are part of a bloc hostile to us, which means they have automatically become targets for our armed forces, including potential retaliatory strikes and even a nuclear component, or preventive measures within the framework of military doctrine," Medvedev stated.

"They have simply ended up in the crosshairs of our armed forces. Has life become better for them? No! These are political games," he said.

Earlier, Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, said that the "provocateur countries" represented by Poland and the Baltic states should understand that they will be the first to suffer as a result of a possible NATO aggression against the Union State of Russia and Belarus.

Defence ministers from the Baltic states have warned that a ceasefire in Ukraine would significantly increase the security threat to their region.