Finland braces for worst-case scenario if Russia's war in Ukraine ends
Photo: Finland prepares for a Russian attack (Getty Images)
Finland expects Russia to continue building up troops along their common border after the war in Ukraine ends. Moscow has beefed up its military bases near the NATO border, according to Major General Sami Nurmi, head of the Finnish Defense Forces' strategic department.
Nurmi said the military is very closely monitoring Moscow's maneuvers and that their task as part of the NATO alliance is to prepare for the worst.
Satellite images published by The New York Times show an expansion of military infrastructure near the Finnish border, including rows of tents, military equipment, reconstruction of fighter jet shelters, and construction of a previously unused helicopter base.
"They are changing structures and we are seeing moderate preparations when it comes to building infrastructure close to our borders, meaning that they will, once the war in Ukraine hopefully ends, start to bring back the forces that have been fighting in Ukraine, especially land forces," Nurmi said.
Nurmi said that Finland is following the preparations very closely.
"They are doing it in phases. I would say it is still moderate numbers. It’s not big construction, but in certain places building new infrastructure and preparing, bringing new equipment in," he said.
According to him, it is difficult to say whether the Russians are preparing to send more troops to Ukraine or are preparing to build up their forces near the border. “But I believe they are doing both,” the general said.
"What happened right after the Ukrainian attack was we applied for Nato membership and then when we were accepted Russia announced they would start to change their military posture across the border," he added
Preparing Finland
Finnish citizens have become accustomed to the looming threat from Russia, but hundreds of people are still signing up for emergency preparedness courses.
The Finnish Border Guard announced that the first 35 km of the planned 200 km of fencing on the eastern border with Russia has been completed. The border has been closed for more than a year after Helsinki accused Moscow of sending asylum seekers to Finland as part of a hybrid operation. The fence is also equipped with cameras and sensors to distinguish between people and animals crossing the border.
Commenting on the changes in Russia's actions, US President Donald Trump told reporters on May 21 that he was not at all concerned about this, adding that Finland and Norway will be completely safe.
