This comes after a week of Russia threatening the Nordic nation with “serious military and political” repercussions in response to Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s remarks about the possibility of Finland applying for NATO membership.

Finland and Russia share a 1,300 km border. As in the case with Ukraine, Moscow does not like the idea of its neighboring countries leaning towards the US-led military alliance.

The statement from the Finnish Ministry of Defense said that invitations for preliminary bids were sent to five companies, including two Israeli firms – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (RADS) – that have apparently reached the final round of negotiations.

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