With the threat from Russia appearing closer and closer to Northern Europe, Sweden and Finland believe that Kremlin is already engaged in a hybrid war that will hit the Scandinavian countries hard, Anadolu Agency reports. 

Alleged sabotage of the Russian-owned Nord Steam gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, as well as illegal drone flights over strategic areas in Norway by a Russian national, are seen as part of President Vladimir Putin's war against the Scandinavian countries.

Russia's war on Ukraine that began on Feb. 24 prompted Sweden and Finland to rethink their security arrangements and apply for NATO membership, despite Moscow's threats.

Magnus Petersson, a professor of international relations at Stockholm University, told Anadolu Agency that the military threat towards Finland and Sweden is "much lower now" than it was when Russia initially attacked Ukraine in February.

Likewise, Henri Vanhanen, the foreign policy adviser to Finland's National Coalition Party, which holds the third-most seats in parliament, told Anadolu Agency that Moscow is currently "struggling" in its effort "to occupy Ukraine" and that most of its military, defense resources, and capabilities were engaged in the ongoing war.

So, he argued, Russia is unlikely to risk a major confrontation with NATO and go down the path of escalation.

This would be "a completely different war than what we're seeing right now," he said, adding that such escalation would raise the risk of nuclear warfare "at some stage and I don't think the Russians are willing to go down that path."