Changing approaches to Finnish security issues after the collapse of the Soviet Union

The transformation of the modern world order has led to a change in the relationship between the Russian Federation and Finland. The latter took an unfriendly position towards Russia, which, of course, could not but affect Finland's security policy. On April 4, 2023, Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and largely defined a new era in the formation of its defense policy. The author tries to assess this event through the analysis of the transformation of Finnish security issues after the collapse of the Soviet Union. How unexpected was the decision to join NATO? Or was it the result of purposeful attempts to change the internal system of approaches — both to interaction within the framework of the Nordic countries and cooperation with Russia? These are the main questions that the author raises in the article, attempting to analyze the changing approaches in the field of Finnish security issues after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The author's conclusions indicate that the changes in security policy (which led the country to NATO) are the result of a fairly systemic policy of strengthening the joint Northern European defense, pressure from Western allies, and the growth of the «Russian threat». We can also talk about a gradual evolution from the soft aspects of security to its more rigid forms in security policy, which is undoubtedly due to the departure from cooperation with Russia.