Article written by Karen Andersson and Laura Rossi
The advances of the Russian nation since the day 24 of February this year against the Ukrainian territory and people shook the planet and especially the countries close to the conflict. Since the beginning of the invasion, neighboring countries to Ukraine like Poland, Slovakia and Romania have received a very strong influx of refugees and provided humanitarian aid. However, it is further north among the Scandinavian countries where even more intense concerns about Vladimir Putin's future intentions have been consolidating after he made numerous threats to Sweden and Finland and proved intransigent in the face of the demands of the great powers and international organizations. The Nordic countries fear that the same thing that has happened to the Ukrainians could happen to them..
This concern is even more immediate for the Finns, because unlike Sweden, have a direct border with Russian territory and are not part of NATO like neighboring Norway. Therefore, over the past two months the country has been bracing for the possibility that an active defense will be needed against Putin's advances.
According to what the Finnish Minister for European Affairs, Tytti Tuppurainen, said in an interview with the Financial Times, Finland with their 1,3 thousand kilometers of shared border with Russia is already preparing for a possible clash with the gigantic neighboring nation since the end of World War II. Still, according to her, the country would not be “caught by surprise” as it has prepared its society with training for situations like this.
The country has a vast network of tunnels and “underground cities”” capable of housing its population, necessary case. Only the capital Helsinki has 10 million square kilometers of tunnels, thanks to an urbanization project from the 1990s 1980. currently, the tunnels are used for passage or as shopping malls, reservoirs and subway system, but can be turned into bomb shelters within just 72 hours, according to the finnish government. Besides that, the country still has more than 54 thousand bunkers built over the years and spread across its territory, anti-bomb devices in the most modern buildings, groceries stock (such as non-perishable food and fuel) enough for six months and a law where pharmaceutical companies in the country are required to store imported medicines and substances to guarantee at least 10 months of provision.
In addition to all its preparation in terms of infrastructure, a third of the Finnish population (composed by 5,5 millions of people) is a reservist in the Armed Forces. Thereby, and proportionally to its size, Finland has one of the biggest troops in all of Europe. In addition, the finnish people carry with them a strong sense of national pride and identity stemming from their historical roots and achievements in past wars. Therefore, if there is indeed a conflict initiated by Putin's troops, it can be inferred that the Russians would face intense resistance from the Finnish population, determined to defend her nation as is currently the case in Ukraine.
The other country that shares this sentiment despite not sharing a land border with Russia, it is Sweden that was also threatened and has since been concerned about the future of security and stability in the region. Thereby, as neighboring countries have strong historical ties and close military cooperation, including joint exercises and information sharing, if they decide to apply for NATO membership, they could join “very quickly”, according to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. It is important to emphasize that both are sovereign countries in the international system and can choose to join NATO even after threats. Finland and Sweden have been “partners” of the organization since the year of 1990 with the end of the Cold War, when they chose not to join the organization due to their neutrality as a way of positioning themselves on international issues.
The threats coming from the Kremlin at the behest of the Russian president and aimed at the two Nordic countries will have, at first, strengthening security cooperation between them, as already said by Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin at a joint press conference in the capital Helsinki with the Swedish Prime Minister, Madalena Anderson: “Russia's war against a sovereign European nation jeopardizes the European security order. In this security environment, in change, Finland and Sweden will further strengthen their cooperation”.
Thus, what can be highlighted when analyzing this situation is that the cooperation that already existed between the two countries, will intensify from the Russian threat and become even more focused on maintaining the security of its territories and populations.
The Finnish population of the “happiest country in the world”, prepares to defend his country, if it's necessary, with the help of Swedish neighbors and the support of almost every other country in the world that repudiates the war provoked by Vladimir Putin.
References
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LESNAU, Artur. “Finland has been preparing against Russia since WWII”. metropolises, 2022. Available in: https://www.metropoles.com/mundo/finlandia-se-prepara-contra-a-russia-desde-a-segunda-guerra
MANZANO, Fabio. “Happiest Country in the World, Finland is ready for possible war with Russia”. G1, 2022. Available in: https://g1.globo.com/mundo/ucrania-russia/noticia/2022/03/30/pais-mais-feliz-do-mundo-finlandia-esta-de-prontidao-para-eventual-guerra-com-a-russia-veja-preparativos.ghtml
“Finnish Costume Manual”. This is Finland, 2010. Available in: https://finland.fi/pt/vida-amp-sociedade/manual-de-costumes-finlandeses-um-guia-de-comportamento/
KAURANEN, Anne and AHLANDER, Johan. “Sweden and Finland will strengthen cooperation, but do not commit to joining NATO”. Reuters, 2022. Available in: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/internacional/suecia-e-finlandia-vao-fortalecer-ainda-mais-cooperacao-em-seguranca/
