Relations were known to have been deteriorating for some time, with the classic straw breaking the camel’s back when the Finland he has expressed an interest in joining NATO with Sweden. Now the Finns find “numerous Russian troops on the border,” as he told AdnKronos Jan Kuusela, Director General of the Defense Policy Department of the Finnish Ministry of Defence. But that’s not something people in Helsinki are afraid of. “To this day we don’t fear an attack because Russia hasn’t threatened us.”
“It hasn’t happened in a long time”
Officially, the Russian troops on the Finnish border are military defense troops fighting in Ukraine and returning after the attacks. In any case, that annoying presence still has some effect and Kuusela doesn’t hide but speaks out in all her amazement. “We live in times historianit hadn’t happened for a long time “, adding that a few kilometers away the new neighbors are air and naval forces. Speaking to the Italian news agency, the director of defense policy tells of the epochal change that his small country is going through. The revolution in relations to the neighbour, but proudly emphasizes: “We have one of the largest armed forces in Europe and with the most advanced systems”.
“You can’t be Putin’s friend”
“Politicians and the people” are pushing for NATO membership. Finland has two goals to achieve in the very short term: to increase the country’s security and to better contribute to the stability of the Baltic Sea. Until just before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, most Finns and politicians thought that staying out of NATO and building stable and workable relations with Russia was the best choice. “Now, Russia’s behavior has brought about this change, and the Finns understood that when they look at what Russia is doing in neighboring Ukraine,” Kuusela said not You can have a good functional relationship with such a government. Consequently, we try to increase security by asking to join nator“.
What happens in an attack
The Director General of the Defense Policy Department of the Finnish Ministry of Defense assured that in case of an attack by Russian troops, “we are always ready ready in defense of the country, because we have always invested heavily in defense “because the armed forces are large and advanced. Noteworthy here is the example of general military service, in which all volunteer men and women serve, leading a security system for the whole of society, which takes care of the rest of the people in the event of a crisis and war.” At the moment, nobody threatens us, but if necessary, we are ready,” he affirms forcefully.” The Finnish security system provides that everyone Sectors including industry, business sectors, non-governmental organizations and private individuals participate in national security in their own way.” That’s up to us resilience, on the experiences gained during the Second World War. We are such a small country that everyone has to participate. We’ve always had defense in mind for decades after the Cold War,” he concludes.