The Finns are looking at their long border with Russia, for fear that Russia might invade their country as well. Against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, support for NATO membership is growing in Finland.
Where is the red line now that the Kremlin will not cross when it comes to security issues? No one else knows this, even in a country like Finland, which has a lot of experience reading signals sent by Russia.
Finland’s eastern border with a length of more than 1300 kilometers is the longest border between the European Union and the Russian Federation. Since the end of World War II, peace has reigned here. But since Russia invaded Ukraine, another of its sovereign neighbors, on February 24, the Finns have apparently never abandoned their safe position.
However, at Vaalimaa, the closest checkpoint to Helsinki on the Finnish-Russian border, after the outbreak of fighting in Ukraine, everything is still fine, border guard captain Jussi Pekkala assures.
The only change, he said, was the relatively small number of Ukrainians and Russians trying to flee the armed conflict and being sent to Finland.
Vigilance is the norm
“Of course, we are prepared and preparing for a lot of situations,” Pekkala said in an interview with DW. “I wouldn’t say it’s a state of alert, but if you’re on any frontier, then this will be the first place. Where you’ll see any change in the situation taking place in the surrounding world.
This kind of change would be highly undesirable for Finland, which has worked for decades to maintain its delicate geostrategic balance-avoiding military alliances, carefully maintaining the same valid relations with Moscow. and its well -equipped and trained armed forces.
Until now, the Finns believed that they did not need guarantees for mutual protection in the event of aggression that NATO member countries had, the majority of the population continued to reject any proposals to join the alliance. This was until February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Growing support for NATO membership: sudden but understandable
Suddenly, according to a survey conducted in February commissioned by Finnish national broadcaster YLE, 53% of respondents reported support for the country’s entry into NATO. In March, this number was even higher – 62%. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen said that while the increase in support for NATO membership was “overwhelming”, the reasons for it were clear.
“People thought we would live in peace in the 2020s, but now we have a war in the middle of Europe, not far from Finland,” the minister said in an interview with DW after a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels in the beginning. of this month, to which Kaikkonen and his Swedish colleague were invited.
The Finnish minister also explained that in April the government will present an updated analysis of the country’s revised security situation to parliament in April, putting the NATO issue on the agenda. Many believe that after subsequent public and parliamentary debates, Helsinki will seek membership in the alliance.
Memories of the “winter war” bring a new chill
For Finns, rethinking the dangers to their freedom is not just about the future, it is also about remembering the past. The Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939. During the so-called “winter war” Moscow, as it is today in Ukraine, justified its invasion on the grounds that it was allegedly provoked by Finland itself.
The Finns then, almost alone resisting, retained their freedom at the cost of huge losses – human life, territory and well -being.
An example for Ukraine? “Finlandization” for the sake of peace
Since then, they have been preparing to do it again if necessary. According to the “whole society” principle of national security, Finnish adults are trained to be self -sufficient in any emergency – whether it be natural disasters, industrial accidents or invasions of neighbors.
Finnish reserves remain stable
In Vantaa, a suburb of Helsinki, Finnish army reservists strive to keep their shooting efficiency equal. In the past month, more people have been training here than ever before. At the same time, the number of new entrants both in self-defense classes and in the reservist training course has increased sharply.
Antti Kettunen, chairman of the Vantaa Reservists Club, said that in the first two weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the club’s membership grew by 20% to 250.
“We’ve never seen anything like it,” Kettunen admits. “The situation in Ukraine shows that anything is possible. You have to be prepared,” added Minna Nenonen, head of the Association of Finnish Reservists. “But it’s not panic. People just want to live. And now it’s time to learn it.”
Moscow threatens the consequences
But the pursuit of additional protection afforded to NATO member countries by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which deals with mutual defense, has its own risks, which have previously been part of the suppression of Finnish intentions to join the alliance.
Today, Moscow has repeatedly and unequivocally threatened Helsinki with “serious political and military consequences” if the country moves towards applying for NATO membership.
Defense Minister Kaikkonen said Helsinki was taking the Kremlin’s word for it: “There will be some kind of reaction from Russia. What it will be like in practice is impossible to say.” Given this uncertainty, parliamentary adviser Anri Vanhanen described the situation in the application for Finland’s accession to NATO as follows – “now or never.”
“If we don’t join the alliance, we have to explain the reason,” he said. “What is the basis of our security now and in the future? Is our close defense cooperation with the EU enough to ensure this? We do not know.”
Vanhanen believes Finland’s entry into NATO is a good step for the alliance itself.
“We are not security consumers,” the parliamentary adviser assured. With a well -trained military, full interoperability with NATO and a key regional location, “we are truly a security donor,” concludes Henri Vanhanen.
Source: Russian Service DW
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Source: korrespondent
