A Russian State Duma Defense Committee leader threatened to destroy half of Finland and compared the country to Ukraine, citing Finland's NATO membership and new U.S. defense ties including a Lockheed Martin maintenance facility approval. The threat includes plans to expand Russian military presence on the border, occurring as Finland removes its ban on nuclear weapons transit — a NATO alignment measure effective July 1. This escalates rhetoric in a region already tense from the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and reflects Russia's strategic anxiety over NATO expansion to its borders.