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Moscow on Wednesday accused Poland and Finland of threatening its security and vowed to respond to "numerous threats" on Russia's border with the West from NATO members.
Poland, Ukraine's staunch neighbor and ally, has beefed up security on its border with Belarus after Minsk became the new base for Russian Wagner fighters.
Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, joined NATO in April in a historic event that was prompted by Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Photogallery "Something will happen": Fear in Poland as Wagner trains Belarusian troops near the border
"Threats to the military security of the Russian Federation have multiplied in the strategic western and northwestern directions", said the Minister of Defense of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, in a meeting with military officials.
Those risks "require adequate and timely responses", he emphasized.
"We will discuss the necessary measures to neutralize them during the meeting, where we will take appropriate decisions."
He singled out Poland, which he said is being "militarized" and is being used by the United States "as an instrument of anti-Russian policies."
Warsaw announced on Wednesday that it will send an additional 2,000 troops to its eastern border, where it already has 2,000.
The NATO member said last week that Belarusian helicopters had violated its airspace and warned of provocations from Belarus.
Shoigu said that Polish troops will be "very close to the borders of the Union", referring to the alliance between Moscow and Minsk.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would respond to any aggression against Belarus "with all the means at our disposal".
Shoigu also said that "a serious destabilizing factor is the membership of Finland in NATO, and in the future - of Sweden".
Last month, Turkey ended its opposition to Sweden's NATO membership, giving the green light to Stockholm's membership hopes.
The Kremlin has said that Sweden's NATO membership would endanger Russia's security and that it is planning countermeasures.
Sweden shares a short arctic border with Russia./rel
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