A border guard officer walks along a fence marking the boundary area between Finland and Russia.
A border guard walks along a fence marking the boundary between Finland and Russia near Imatra, Finland in November 2022.
  • Finland's admission to NATO this month doubles the length of NATO's border with Russia.
  • Russian leaders have downplayed the significance of their neighbor joining the alliance.
  • But Moscow is making moves that indicate concern about NATO gaining new territory nearby.

Finland joining NATO has created an unwelcome prospect for Moscow: a potential adversary on Russia's sensitive northern border.