"Are ready for battle": Finnish general makes announcement to the Kremlin
Created: 06/22/2022, 14:05
By: Franziska Schwarz
Russia's neighbor Finland is sending a warning to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine war and in the dispute over NATO membership.
Helsinki - "The most important line of defense is in the head, as the Ukraine conflict proves to us": General Timo Kivinen confirms this, according to the Reuters news agency.
In other words, in the event of a Russian attack, as in the Ukraine, the Finns would be “ready to fight”, in his opinion.
Referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kivinen said: "We have developed our military defenses for exactly this type of warfare - warfare with massive use of firepower, patrols and air forces." Militarily, Finland is prepared for the defense.
Poll in Finland: majority 'ready to fight' in case of war
In the event of a war, Finland, with its 5.5 million inhabitants, can call on 280,000 soldiers and another 600,000 reservists.
In early April, Helsinki announced that it would increase its military spending by more than two billion euros over the next four years.
A defense budget of 5.1 billion euros is planned for 2022.
A good 82 percent of those questioned in a survey by the Ministry of Defense in May spoke out in favor of national defence.
"Ukraine is a tough one for Moscow, and Finland would be too," Kivinen said.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö (front left) and Finnish General Timo Kivinen (front right) at a parade in Helsinki © Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP
Ukraine news from Finland: General welcomes application for NATO membership
Finland was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939.
The Finns put up fierce resistance.
In the end, however, they were forced to cede a large part of the eastern region of Karelia in a peace treaty with Moscow.
In a 1948 “Treaty of Friendship” Moscow pledged not to attack its neighbor as long as it stayed out of Western defense cooperation.
The country's enforced neutrality coined the term "Finlandization".
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in mid-May.
Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the only member of the defense alliance currently blocking this - Erdogan spoke a word of power after negotiations.
Ankara justifies its stance with the alleged support of Finland and Sweden for "terrorist organizations" such as the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK.
The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope
View photo gallery
also read
Territories Against Ukraine's EU Accession: A Deal With Putin?
Russia-Lithuania dispute over Kaliningrad: Moscow announces 'practical' response to 'hostile' action
Finland's possible NATO membership: a "serious mistake" for the Kremlin
The Kremlin under Vladimir Putin also describes Finland's and Sweden's plans to join NATO as a "serious mistake".
The security of both countries will "not be strengthened" by this, said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke of a "clear" threat to Russia with a view to Finland.
Meanwhile, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö doubts that the dispute with Turkey will be resolved before the NATO summit in Madrid.
Although Turkey has not backed away from its position, it is still progress that the countries are negotiating with each other, he said on June 21, according to Finnish news agency STT.
(frs with AFP and dpa)