Finland is arming itself at an unprecedented rate for war against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine - and according to reports in the country, Israel is one of the prominent arms suppliers.
According to the "Helsingin Snowmat" newspaper, in recent weeks the Ministry of Defense announced an extensive procurement including Israeli weapons: anti-tank missiles of the Rafael "Spike" type as well as long-range missiles.
Rafael confirmed that the purchase amount is a quarter of a billion euros.
Also in Helsinki's procurement campaign - anti-aircraft missiles and American cruise missiles, 38 South Korean K9 howitzers and anti-aircraft missiles from Sweden. Also on the menu - massive procurement of missiles for HIMARS rocket artillery systems, which proved itself on the battlefield in Ukraine.
K9 howitzers made in South Korea in the service of Poland.
Finland also invited, photo: IPA
The war in Ukraine shook Finland.
Although for decades Helsinki maintained neutrality in view of its neighborhood with the USSR, and later with Russia, and maintained an army among the most skilled in Europe - after the invasion, it changed its security concept and applied to Sweden as a candidate for NATO.
It is now preparing for the possibility of a major war with Russia, with which it shares a border of approximately 1,300 km. Already in the spring, the government allocated 2.2 billion euros for expedited military procurement. The defense budget was also increased by 1 billion, reaching 6.1 billion euros. Like this," Defense Ministry representative Ika Martila told the Finnish newspaper, "We are buying in a hurry, and the amounts allocated are extraordinary.
The war in Ukraine showed that the defending side needs to have sufficient quantities of equipment and weapons for all scenarios."
Sana Marin.
"No more Russian war on Finnish soil", photo: AFP
Recently, the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, said that her country strongly sympathizes with Ukraine. "We also have a long history with Russia, and we are joining NATO because we no longer want to see a Russian war on Finnish soil," said Marin.
She referred to the "Winter War" (1939-1940), during which the USSR invaded its neighbor under false pretenses. The Stalinist power - then Hitler's ally - suffered heavy losses and was unable to conquer Finland, but ate about 9% of its territory.
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