Home › World › Russia's electricity cut-off and Finland's NATO question
Russia's electricity cut-off and Finland's NATO question
Summary
A look back at how Moscow's warnings and a halt to power deliveries marked Finland's path towards NATO membership in May 2022.
What did Moscow do once Finland's NATO ambitions became plain? On 13 May 2022, RAO Nordic, a subsidiary of the Russian energy company Inter RAO, announced it would suspend electricity deliveries to Finland. The company said it had not been paid for earlier deliveries.
A threat the day before
The announcement came a day after the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on 12 May 2022, threatened retaliatory steps against Finland if the country joined NATO. The ministry said those steps could include measures of a "military-technical" nature.
Reading the sequence
The two announcements came on consecutive days. RAO Nordic cited unpaid bills as the reason for the suspension, while the cut-off came as Russia was threatening retaliation over NATO membership. The company's stated reason was commercial; the diplomatic warning was explicitly tied to Finland's possible accession.
A separate sporting decision
On 12 May 2022, another decision linked to the war in Ukraine concerned sport. Tennis players from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to compete at the upcoming French Open as neutral athletes. Players who spoke in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin would face sanctions.
Together, the items showed pressure on Russia and Belarus and Russian pressure on a neighbour, in different arenas, within the same 48 hours.
