In the dramatic situation that is shaking the European continent, some countries are closer to Russia than others; this is the case of Finland, where Finnish is spoken, a member state of the European Union and the euro zone, which has shared part of its history with Russia.
In the 19th century, Finland was named the “Grand Duchy of Finland” under the Russian Empire. It was during the Russian Revolution that Finland gained its independence. Then this country lived through two wars against the Soviet Union, the Winter War in 1939, and the Continuation War in 1941, part of the province of Karelia was annexed by the USSR, including the city of Vyborg.
Finland shares a 1340 km border with Russia. In order to “take the temperature” of Finland during the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, our guest witness is Mtv journalist Helena Petaisto, a well-known Francophile journalist in the French press.
The general atmosphere today is mixed between relative calm and a perception of risk at its border. The Finns carry this border reality within them and are always on the lookout. For the authorities of the country, the government has been communicating regularly with the population for 48 hours through press conferences on the media.
“It must be said that the geopolitical situation of Finland with its 1340 km border with Russia leaves no room for recklessness, especially now. Everything is calm here, but we do not know if it will be calm before storm.”
Helena Petaisto, Mtv journalist in Helsinki
The Finnish army (Puolustusvoimat), is made up of an army, air force, navy, a large body of border guards and arctic units. Its workforce is 23,800 soldiers. The country also rests its defense with a large body of reservists. Conscription in Finland is 6, 9, 12 months with service open to female volunteers.
Women are a historical symbol in the history of the Finnish army, they fought as auxiliaries during the Winter War and the Continuation War, in a corps called the “Lotta Svärd”. If today the Finnish defense does not provide any information concerning its preparation for any eventuality, it is a pillar of the country’s security, as it can count on its professional, reservist and conscripted troops. Finally, Finnish mobilization can be very rapid.
At the European level, Finland is a neutral state, which is not a member of NATO, even if it participates in NATO summits and joint maneuvers. For the time being, Finland is ruling out any NATO membership, and was warned on Friday February 25 by the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova: “Russia would be obliged to respond adequately if Sweden and Finland joined NATO.”
Sweden, a neighbor of Finland, a member state of the EU, is also a neutral state. As for Finland, it is a partner with NATO regarding security in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic.
Sauli Niinistö is the President of the Republic of Finland. Sauli Niinistö is one of the few European leaders in perpetual contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is a privileged witness of Russian political reality, and has recently indicated, as Helena Petaisto told us, that “For six months Vladimir Putin has become unpredictable”.
Sauli Niinistö speaking to the people of Finland said, regarding Vladimir Putin, “this time, the mask has just fallen”. No one knows in Finland if the dialogue between Niinistö and Putin will be able to continue, Finland ardently wishes it.
For the time being, if the Ukrainian tragedy troubles Finland, like the rest of continental Europe, Finland is preparing to put in place a plan to welcome Ukrainian refugees. Once again, little Finland reveals itself as a great European country, which knows how to remain so discreet in its large expanses of birch forests.