Finland will create the largest reserve in the EU in case of a chemical and nuclear threat

Finland will create the largest strategic reserve of emergency supplies in the European Union, reported Ministry of the Interior of Finland.

The project, which received funding of 242 million euros from the European Commission, plans to create a strategic reserve intended for use by the countries of Northern and Eastern Europe in case of emergencies.

Stockpiles to be established in Finland during 2024 will include protective and measuring equipment, detectors, rapid tests, as well as medicines and vaccines to be used by both emergency responders and the civilian population, including in the event of pandemics.

Similar stocks are also being built in France, Poland and Croatia, but the storage facility in Finland will be the largest.

In the spring, in connection with Finland’s entry into NATO, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned about the increased threats of a clash with the alliance. Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov then noted that Finland’s entry into the North Atlantic bloc leads to an aggravation of the situation in the world.

On June 6, Finland announced the expulsion of nine diplomats from the Russian Federation, who, according to the Finnish authorities, worked in intelligence. The Russian embassy in Helsinki previously stated that trade cooperation between the countries was almost completely destroyed after joining the anti-Russian EU sanctions. A month later, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the withdrawal of consent to the activities of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg from October 1, as well as the expulsion of nine Finnish diplomats. July 31 Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev declaredthat the policy of the Finnish leadership destroys good-neighborly relations with Russia and has a “conscious confrontational course.”