Finland Is Better Prepared Than Ever for the Russian Threat

Russia remains Finland’s central security threat, but Finland’s ability to defend itself is stronger than ever, argues Jukka Tarkka in a Helsingin Sanomat reader opinion piece.

The article recalls former Defense Minister Jyri Häkämies’s 2007 warning that Finland’s three biggest security challenges were “Russia, Russia and Russia.” The remark caused an uproar, the writer says, even though many people understood its underlying point.

Tarkka traces the perceived threat back to the Great Wrath in the early 18th century, when Russian forces persecuted Finns. He also refers to the period of Finlandization that began in the 1950s, presenting the relationship with Russia as a long-running security concern.

The article highlights Finland’s military preparations. The conscription army trains for rapid mobilization, and readiness exercises continue regularly. Finnish ground-force artillery has long ranked among Europe’s strongest and is still being reinforced. Naval equipment will be renewed in the coming years, extending its operating reach from the Gulf of Finland to the northern Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia.

The new David’s Sling air-defense system is described as giving Finland high-altitude air-defense capabilities. The Air Force’s F-35 purchase, meanwhile, is expected to preserve its capabilities after the Hornets leave service. NATO membership links Finland to a Europe-wide defense system and removes ambiguity about which side Finland belongs to. The article adds that the Kremlin knows this, while Russia’s large military must be distributed along the borders of its vast country.