What Moscow threatened over Finland and Sweden before NATO bids
A look back at the warnings, the electricity cut-off and the tennis rules that marked the days around 18 May 2022.
What was Russia signalling to its Nordic neighbours as Finland and Sweden moved towards NATO? On 18 May 2022, the answer had been building for several days.
On 12 May 2022, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs threatened retaliatory steps against Finland, including measures of a "military-technical" nature, if the country joined NATO.
The following day, 13 May 2022, RAO Nordic, a subsidiary of the Russian energy company Inter RAO, announced it would suspend deliveries of electricity to Finland. The company said it had not been paid for earlier deliveries. The suspension came as Russia was threatening retaliation over a possible Finnish NATO membership.
On 16 May 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin widened the warning to cover Sweden as well. He said Russia would react to the expansion of military infrastructure by NATO in Sweden and Finland, and argued that problems were being created for no reason at all. He said Russia would react accordingly.
Sport and the boycott question
Also on 12 May 2022, a separate decision concerned sport. Tennis players from Russia and Belarus were to be allowed to compete at the upcoming French Open as neutral athletes. Players who spoke in support of Putin would face sanctions.
Taken together, these developments showed how the consequences of the war in Ukraine were reaching well beyond the battlefield, touching security policy, energy supplies and international sport in the days before 18 May 2022.
