Finland joins NATO, creating a new geopolitical nightmare for Putin, one that he sparked himself

• Finland has officially joined NATO, creating a nightmare scenario for Russia.
• NATO now has a powerful new member that has a long border with Russia.
• Putin said he attacked Ukraine to push NATO back — but Finland's accession achieves the opposite.

Finland became the newest member of NATO on Tuesday, creating a nightmare scenario for Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

A ceremony and exchange of documents took place on Tuesday afternoon local time, completing the formal process.

Finland joining the Western military alliance is something that Russia has actively opposed, as it sees the military alliance as its greatest threat. But in many ways Finland's membership is a direct result of Russia's own actions.