Finland and Sweden will become "targets" for Moscow if they join NATO, warned the Russian ambassador in Stockholm.
After their accession, "the total length of the borders between Russia and NATO will almost double", Ambassador Viktor Tatarintsev said on Tuesday.
Russia has repeatedly threatened the Nordic pair after they submitted bids to join the western military alliance last May, following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
Under NATO rules, a country only becomes a full member when all 30 countries have ratified their applications.
Finland is now waiting for Turkey to ratify their bid to join NATO, something that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to do.
However, officials in Sweden still hope to join before the next NATO summit in July in Lithuania.
"In this case, the Swedes will undoubtedly be drawn in and sent to their deaths for the interests of others," Tatarintsev wrote. »