Russia is moving its advanced nuclear-capable missiles closer to Finland after the latter continued with its bid to join NATO. Moscow has also cut the electricity supply to Finland since Friday.
Footage that emerged on the internet shows that Iskander missiles, which are capable of carrying a number of nuclear warheads, were being transported to the Finland border.
The weaponry was headed toward Vyborg, a Russian city close to the Finnish border. It came as Russia had threatened Finland to face devastating consequences after the latter's bid to join NATO. The military alliance is conducting a drill simulating its response to Russia's attack.
"As soon as the president of Finland said they were joining NATO, a whole division of Iskanders, seven of them... is moving towards Vyborg,' said a narrator in the video.
Finland and Sweden both have announced plans to join NATO, similar development which triggered the Ukraine war.
Iskander Missiles Reaching Vyborg
Vyborg is only 30 miles from Finland and 135 miles from the Finnish capital Helsinki.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry threatened Finland stressing that joining NATO will be a grave mistake and Helsinki could face far-reaching consequences for such a step.
Nearly 15,000 forces from 10 nations will take part in the NATO drill, dubbed 'Siil' or 'Hedgehog'. The drill takes place merely 40 miles from a Russian base.
Iskander Missiles Have a Range of 500 km
The missile launcher, a tactical nuclear weapon, is a ground-based missile system designed as a solid-fuel rocket that has a range of 400-500 km.
NATO has codenamed the mobile ballistic missile system SS-26. The weapon replaced the Soviet Scud missile.
Iskander, a tactical missile system, could launch ballistic and cruise missiles. Until 2019, Russia operated 11 combat brigades of Iskander-M systems.
Generally, a standard Iskander brigade includes 12 transporter erector launcher and their associated support vehicles.
