Helsinki: Finland's foreign minister told AFP on Tuesday that despite threats to do so after the Nordic nation joined NATO, Russia has yet to send troops to its border with Finland.

In April, Moscow declared that Finland's participation in the western alliance was a "assault on our security" and promised to "take countermeasures... in tactical and strategic terms."

A 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border separates Finland from Russia. Its border with Russia along the US-led alliance has doubled as a result of its membership. According to an email from Finland's foreign minister to AFP, "Russia announced military reforms and the creation of new units in northwest Russia already last December, referring to the expansion of NATO's presence."

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She continued, "These efforts don't seem to have advanced very quickly. She said, referring to Ukraine, "Russian resources seem to be tied up elsewhere at the moment."

"The eastern border situation is calm." After decades of military non-alignment, Finland decided to join NATO in response to the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine.

The 200-kilometer section of the Nordic nation's border with Russia is currently being fenced in and is expected to be finished by 2026.
The majority of Finland's borders are currently guarded by thin wooden fences, which are primarily built to prevent livestock from crossing over.

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On August 9, Russia reaffirmed the threat, accusing both Finland and Poland of endangering its security and pledging a response to the growing number of "threats" to its western border.
Poland has increased security along its border with Belarus, a close ally of Moscow.

At a meeting with military officials, Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, declared that "threats to the military security of the Russian Federation have multiplied in the western and northwestern strategic directions."
They "require a timely and adequate response," he continued.

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Finland is "always well prepared for various situations," according to Valtonen. And this one too.

"NATO is a defensive alliance, and neither Finland nor Russia are threatened by it... The criticism of NATO by Russia has existed for a long time and is nothing new, she added.