Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev directly threatened Finland, stating in an article for the TASS news agency on September 8 that the "main thing" that Finland should not "forget" is that confrontation with Russia "could lead to the collapse of Finnish statehood forever".
This is what the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes.
Medvedev claims that Finland is historically tied to Nazi Germany and that the Finnish authorities in the 1940s wanted to expand the borders to include areas in modern Russia. He claims that the current Finnish government is "Russophobic" and that "the thirst for victory at the expense of Russia was instilled in the minds of Finns even during Hitler".
Finnish authorities have historically attempted to erase the "historical and cultural identity" of ethnic Russians and to commit genocide against the Slavic population. Medvedev claims that Finland joined NATO under the "pretext" of defense, but is actually preparing for war against Russia. Ignoring the fact that Finland has abandoned its long-standing military neutrality to join NATO in direct response to the war in neighboring Ukraine in 2022.
Medvedev’s claims parallel those the Kremlin used to justify its invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022.
Russia continues to expand its defense-industrial base (DIB) to protect defense-industry enterprises from strikes at long Ukrainian ranges. The deputy head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Military Intelligence (GUR), Major General Vadim Skibitsky, announced on September 7 that Russia plans to produce 2,500 high-precision missiles, including Iskander cruise and ballistic missiles and Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles. in 2025.
Skibitsky noted that the GUR has observed a significant increase in the production of Russian drones, especially the "Geran" (Russian analogues of the Iranian "Shahed" drone), "Harpy" (analogues of the "Shahed" with components from the People's Republic of China [PRC]), and first-person view (FPV) drones, and that Ukrainian military intelligence indicates that the Russian military has a rearmament plan for the period 2026-2037.
Skibitsky reported that most of the "powerful" Russian defense enterprises are located 750 kilometers or more from the Ukrainian border, and that only 25 percent are within a range of 250 to 500 kilometers. Skibitsky said that Ukraine has not seen any signs that Russia is relocating defense industry enterprises, but that Russia is building its new defense industry enterprises 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Skibitsky said that Russia has diversified its defense industry production so that more than 100 enterprises can be involved in the production of one type of weapon. Building defense industry enterprises far from the Ukrainian border is an attempt to protect the DIB from distant Ukrainian strikes, and diversifying Russia's production line is likely aimed at preventing the entire production process from being disrupted by Ukrainian strikes.
The Kremlin appears ready to institutionalize its long-standing practice of torturing Ukrainian civilian prisoners and prisoners of war. On September 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a bill to the State Duma of Russia denouncing the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The convention calls for international inspections of detention centers and prisons.
The explanatory note to the bill cites Russia's lack of representation on the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment since 2023 as the reason for the denunciation.