Finland has been preparing for Russia’s attack for decades and will fiercely resist if it happens.
Source: Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces General Timo Kivinen
The country has accumulated a significant arsenal. But in addition to military equipment, added General Timo Kivinen, the decisive factor is that the Finns will be motivated to fight.
The once non-aligned Finland is now applying to join NATO for fear that Russia could attack it in the same way it invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
After World War II, Finland maintained a high level of military readiness.
“We have systematically developed our military defence precisely for this type of warfare that is being waged there (in Ukraine), with massive use of firepower, armoured forces and also airforces. Ukraine has been a tough bite to chew (for Russia) and so would be Finland,” Kivinen said.
The number of servicemen in the country is about 280,000, and 870,000 have been trained as reservists. Finland has also not abolished military service for men, as many other Western countries have done since the end of the Cold War.
Finland has also built one of Europe’s strongest artilleries and has stocked up on cruise missiles with a range of up to 370 km (230 miles). It spends 2% of its GDP on defence, a level higher than many NATO countries.
Kivinen welcomed Finland’s decision to apply to join NATO. Finland and fellow Nordic country Sweden are in talks with Turkey to discuss the latter’s opposition to their applications.
See also: Finland confiscated 76 million euros of Russian property
