Army on the north-western borders of Russia

"All Finnish parliamentary parties have reached agreement on military reform." The group of Russian journalists, including the executive editor of NVO, who visited Suomi in the country at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, told the chairman of the committee on the defense of the Finnish Parliament Mr. Jussi Niynestö about this.

Interestingly, the chairman of the Defense Committee and his deputy, former Minister of Defense Mr. Tom Pakkalen, representing the True Finns opposition party, agree with the plans of the government and the Ministry of Defense to drastically reduce the national defense forces of their country. At the same time, the number of reservists who are drafted into the army in the event of a critical situation should be reduced to 2015 from 540 to 250 thousand, and the number of peacetime reservists will be only 18 thousand. At the same time, the headquarters of military districts will be reduced and eliminated (there are four of them in Finland today, just like in our country, in parts of the world - Zapadny, Severny, Vostochny and Yuzhny), regional commands of defense The Army, Navy and Air Force will be reduced and many other headquarters. For example, the headquarters of the defense territory of the Turku Archipelago or the headquarters of the naval defense of the Gulf of Finland in Kirkkonummi. The main headquarters of the defense forces will be 25 people, in the Ground Forces 2300, in the Navy 4500, in the Air Force 1400, and in the Defense Academy, which includes two more training units, the Egersky Regiment (we were told about it in No. 2050 from 19 – 7 Jun) and the Land Defense School, 13 people.

These numbers we called Colonel Kim Mattssson, deputy head of the strategic planning of the Ministry of Defense of Finland. According to him, despite the reduction in personnel, the country's defense spending will rise to the level of 2009 of the year, when the military’s annual budget amounted to 110 million euros, to 130 million euros in 2015 year. At the same time, three principles of Suomi’s defense policy remain unchanged: ensuring state defense, universal military duty and non-alignment with military alliances.

Although Helsinki is still involved in the NATO operation in Afghanistan as part of the Partnership for Peace, a contingent of 156 troops is there now, as part of the commitments of the European Union, Finnish guys are present in Kosovo - 21 people, and also take part in UN peacekeeping operations . In Lebanon today there are 182 Finnish military observers.

And although the priority for the Finnish army, of course, is to defend their own country, helping various authorities in various crisis situations, participation in the international military crisis management is the most important task for the military Suomi. And it is clear why. No army can exist without combat experience, and its soldiers and officers in Finland can only be obtained today in international peacekeeping operations. Colonel Mattssson showed us slides on the main areas of military reform in Finnish. They began with a kind of “diamond”, in the center of which were the main tasks of ensuring the safety of the population, society and the sovereignty of the state. Only one of the facets of this “diamond” belonged to the National Defense Forces. The rest entrusted this task to state leadership, the department of foreign affairs, ensuring internal security, the existence and viability of the population, the psychological resilience of society to crises, economic development and improvement of infrastructure. “Our ministry,” said the colonel, “is the smallest in this series, but the tasks before us are very serious.”

Comments

[alone]

there are few problems for the Finns too

[Vadivak]

Quote: ...

the priority for the Finnish army, of course, is the defense of their own country

This has not always been the case. After 45 they became pink and fluffy.

The good tradition of "Finnish inhabitants" to gather in gangs and go robbing Karelians has a thousand-year history. This stable tradition to a large extent explains the ease with which in 1918-22 the White Finnish gangs were recruited for campaigns against Russia - for the Finnish cattle this was an understandable, familiar and commendable business.

Finland attacked Russia about ten times between 1918 and 1941, and these are facts that simply exist. The last Finnish attack on Russia happened in 1941, when Finland was an ally of Nazi Germany. Before that, the Finns attacked Russia after a long break in 1939. Finnish aggression of 1921-22 happened even earlier, enough has been written about it in this essay. Before that there was a period of 1918-1920, which is collectively called the First Soviet-Finnish War. That war consisted of a series of Finnish aggressions against Russia in 1918, the Finns unsuccessfully attacked Kem, Kandalaksha and Pechenga, more successfully - Ukhta and Rebola. In 1919, the Finns launched a powerful, in their scale, attack on Olonets, and then two smaller attacks from Kiryasalo towards Petrograd. Maybe I missed some episode, but, on the other hand, some of these episodes intersected in time and space, because the classification and counting of acts of Finnish aggression against Russia remain approximate,

[APES]

In tsarist Russia, in general, "thugs" were considered

[Vadivak]

Quote: APES

In tsarist Russia, in general, "thugs" were considered

Well, not quite. They were called Chukhons.

Blackened huts here and there,
Shelter for the wretched Chukhonets

A.S. Pushkin.

[Vitaly Anisimov]

The Finns know how to fight .. We would be friends with them would not be bad.

[il grand casino]

Just do not think that the Finns are those who want to be friends with someone ..

[MilaPhone]

Quote: il grand casino

Finns know how to fight ..

I don’t know how wars are, but they are wonderful race car drivers.

[ele1285]

Quote: il grand casino

Just do not think that the Finns are those who want to be friends with someone ..

And why should they be friends. The Muslim south is far from them. If only the pipe dream of the Ukrainians to fulfill and declare war on China. So they are pragmatists, not fools with shabble.

[demeen1]

and where are the Ukrainians?

[Azzzwer]

Quote: demeen1

and where are the Ukrainians?

and there’s a joke about a Ukrainian and a goldfish ...

[Migari]

Quote: il grand casino

Just do not think that the Finns are those who want to be friends with someone ..

And why do they need this pleasure, they live for their own pleasure, and they live well, and we, being in the times of the USSR and now we are looking for all our friends, help, arm, feed for free, cheaper and sell gas, and now those friends whom our army saved from fascism, spit in our direction, the countries of the former Socialist. camps.

[zao74]

Only in its territory.

[smile]

MIKHAN
Are we quarreling with them? But they created their own parties. demanding the "revival of Great" Suomi, the return of the primordial Finnish territories almost all the way to the Urals. They provide serious financial support to all kinds of nationalist parties and educational organizations that are being created in Karelia, which with might and main procrastinate the topic of Russian invaders and separation from Russia. The Finnish government is also trying to implement the idea of ​​a peaceful return of territories - through the state-supported creeping expansion of Finnish companies in Karelia.
So, we are friends with them, and they ... just wait until we suddenly weaken ... if they knew what kind of euphoria there was during the time of the Elbon, it seemed, a little more and Finland would double ... . did not fail. These are friends.

[fklj]

non-alignment with military alliances.

The desire for NATO is an indicator of the mental health of the Finnish leadership. So far, the mind is present

[night1313]

Quote: Vadivak

Before that, the Finns attacked Russia after a long break in 1939

Please take out the log from my eyes, it’s about 1939, my grandfather got your next attack of Finns in 1939, he earned asthma in Finnish snowdrifts.

[Vadivak]

Quote: tun1313

Please take out the log from my eyes, it’s about 1939, my grandfather got your next attack of Finns in 1939, he earned asthma in Finnish snowdrifts.

Clear.
And mine came from Finnish with the Order of the Red Star. And nothing. And the Finnish communist’s grandfather beat the White Finns before they were 39 when they climbed into Karelia.

[Fin]

We agree with the plans of the government and the Ministry of Defense to drastically reduce the national defensive forces of their country.

They know how to count money. They understand that we do not need them, and there are no more enemies. We have other tank tours planned in more interesting places.

[Vadivak]

Quote: Fin

They understand that we don’t need them,

Oh, if so. Here are pictures from outer space of the territory adjacent to the city of Kostomuksha. Gray rectangles are forest plots on which the forest is completely cut down. Under zero. Just kick it. The whole territory painted in gray is bare hills and swamps. Forests destroyed between 1995 and 2010.

Cut down by the Finns, and of course by the corrupt authorities

[Fin]

Quote: Vadivak

Cut down by the Finns, and of course by the corrupt authorities

Yes ... nothing to say. And who issues the felling licenses?

[Vadivak]

Quote: Fin

And who issues the felling licenses?

Finns cut millions of cubic meters of Karelian forests, leaving their original form.

Finland is a very important, key investor for us, which gives hundreds of jobs in the north of the republic, which fills local budgets with live money, develops infrastructure, and generally revives the economy and social life of the region, -
an official from the Karelian Ministry of Natural Resources explains the position of official power.


This is how the centuries-old forest and valuable species are sold

[Yura]

Quote: Vadivak

This is how the centuries-old forest and valuable species are sold

One anecdote still circulates among our men working in the forest. He comes to the logging site to the lumberjacks, a peasant, himself an unprepossessing little black sprout, and says: "The bosses sent me to you and said that if you take me to the brigade, they will take me to work." The foreman looked at him where he was, and at the same time, he seemed to feel sorry for the man, well, he said: "Here's an ax, here's a forest, we are now in the trailer for lunch, and there we'll look at your work and decide." Let's go to lunch, the little man knows himself bales and you can hear what is so briskly. The brigade had lunch, they left the booth and were dumbfounded, a whole clearing of trees was piled up, and at the end of it the peasant was barely visible waving with an ax, the lumberjacks ran to him, and the foreman asked: "What a frisky one, we take you to the brigade, where does that come from?" he answers: "from the Sahara", "there is also a desert" - says the foreman, and he answers: "soon you will have nothing."

[APASUS]

Quote: Vadivak

Cut down by the Finns, and of course by the corrupt authorities

The proposal is not drawn up correctly.
The forest has been cut down by presumptuous, corrupt officials with the help of Finnish firms! Exactly and not otherwise.

[Vadivak]

Quote: APASUS

The forest has been cut down by presumptuous, corrupt officials with the help of Finnish firms!

Yes, whatever. Both those and other enemies.

[APASUS]

Quote: Vadivak

Yes, whatever. Both those and other enemies.

Not a single Finn in history has done as much on the destruction of Russia as one native Serdyukov’s official. And you can’t list the surnames .... there’s not enough format, but the Finns are poop, but it's too early to call them enemies.

[Peaceful military]

The EU is an American vassal. In Europe, American nuclear weapons, not weak American expeditionary forces, US Air Force and Navy bases, etc.
Before joining the EU, Finland was an independent country, whose independence was guaranteed by the USSR. With the collapse of the USSR, Finland lost the guarantor of its sovereignty and entered (dragged) into the EU. It is included in the EU military system, which, in turn, is subordinate to the United States. The Finns were forced to rearm on modern NATO weapons and, although Finland is officially not a member of NATO, it is a participant in all NATO events.
Now, all of a sudden, the Finns began to make a fuss about Karelia. So that is not so simple.

[Stinger]

Do it right. The Finns need NATO only in order to be able to operate from their territory.

[Luga]

Personally, I have a twofold attitude towards the Finns. Somewhat condescending, but with a certain amount of respect. One could say the same about them as about Estonians, Latvians — hereditary, 13-th century slaves who never before 1918 had their national state education, and even after 1918 who sought to lie with manic perseverance or Britons, or under the Teutons. However, you will not say.
The Finns forced everyone to respect themselves after the Winter War, when, in an open military confrontation with the vast Soviet Union, they managed to defend their independence, albeit at the cost of territorial concessions (quite significant). As far as I know, Stalin's plans included complete submission to Finland and its inclusion in the USSR. It should be recognized that to implement these, of course, good plans, Stalin was prevented exclusively by the courage and perseverance of the Finnish people, which he showed for the first and last time in his history.
I personally consider Mannerheim to be the author of the Winter War tragedy. The Russian general, who headed the fallen off province and hated everything connected with Russia, his anti-Soviet rhetoric and constant provocations, including armed ones, as well as demonstrative preparations for the war, provoked Stalin to take preventive measures. The construction of a defensive line on the Karelian Isthmus (still impressive), and the equipment of this line with large-caliber artillery capable of shooting Leningrad from its position simply did not leave Stalin a choice.
Why am I doing this?
Besides, the Finns, taught by bitter experience, now behave quietly and decently. And even in the 90s they behaved quietly and decently. And now I do not notice any anti-Russian rhetoric, although their army, unlike the Estonian or Latvian one, really has a real combat value. Do you know why? Because the Finns, unlike Estonians or Latvians, know the price of independence, they paid for it with their blood, fought for real, with the utmost effort. They did not get "sovereignty" as a gift, and the Finns know the price of independence.
The Finns will never fight with Russia. And they do not need an army in order to rattle their arms and threaten, but in order to respect themselves.

[Vadivak]

Quote: Luga

As far as I know, Stalin's plans included complete submission to Finland and its inclusion in the USSR.

You're not right. I.V. Stalin tried to prevent a war with Finland. The USSR asks the Finnish government to lease 30 islands in the Gulf of Finland for 4 years. Helsinki refused.

The USSR asks to exchange them for its territory. In March 1939, the Reich invaded Czechoslovakia. Moscow is asking for a lease of land for 30 years on Cape Hanko (it is located at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland). He also offers to exchange the territory of the Karelian Isthmus, up to the defensive “Mannerheim Line”, for large Soviet lands. Moreover, the main emphasis was on land rental on the Hanko Peninsula. The significance of the negotiations for the USSR is confirmed by the fact that negotiations with the Finnish delegation were conducted by Stalin. The USSR was ready, in addition to territorial concessions, to make significant economic preferences. When the Finns declared that there would be no foreign military bases on their territory, Moscow immediately proposed several new options - they offered to dig a canal across the cape and make the base an island, offered to buy a piece of land and make it the territory of the USSR. They offered to buy several uninhabited islets at Cape Hanko. Helsinki rejected everything! They needed neither economic benefits, nor an alliance with the USSR, nor an increase in their territories. The Finnish elite went against common sense. Why? The Finnish elite lived with the illusions of the collapse of the Russian Empire and the 20s. They remembered that Russia lost to small Japan in 1904-1905, was defeated in the First World War, could not oppose anything to split the Baltic states, Poland, and Finland. Lost the Soviet-Polish war of 1919-1920, losing Western Belarus and Western Ukraine. Gave Romania to Bessarabia. The White Finns destroyed Soviet power in Finland, killed 8 thousand prisoners, another 12 thousand people were killed by hunger in concentration camps, and Moscow could not answer.

Intelligent data went through secret channels in Helsinki, which up to 75% of the population hates the "Bolsheviks". The General Staff, having analyzed the actions of Marshal Blucher’s troops near Lake Hassan, reported that the Red Army could not only advance, but plainly conduct defensive actions. Based on such data, Helsinki was confident that they could fight one-on-one with the USSR for at least six months, and then, if they didn’t manage to win immediately, the great powers would stand up for them. Therefore, the Finnish Armed Forces' war plans were only offensive. On them in the south the onslaught of the Red Army was reflected by the “Mannerheim Line”, and in Karelia the Finnish army advanced along the entire front. The new border of Finland, after the "victorious war" was supposed to pass along the Neva River - the southern shore of Lake Ladoga - the eastern shore of Lake Onega - the White Sea. The new Finnish territory included the Kola Peninsula, while the area of ​​Finland doubled, and the land border with the USSR was reduced by more than half. The border began to pass entirely along deep rivers and large lakes. I must say that the goal of the war set by the Finns, if it was achievable, does not raise doubts about its reasonableness. And Helsinki refused an offensive war, only after a week of war, when they tested the strength of the Red Army!

[Luga]

I do not agree with you. Rather, I do not agree on everything.
I see the situation on the eve of the Winter War in a slightly different vein.
Mannerheim, in his frenzied hatred of the USSR, having come to power immediately came into contact with the victor countries in the First World War and pursued precisely their policy. He dreamed of a "crusade" against the USSR and in every possible way emphasized his readiness to participate in it. But he would not have dreamed of fighting the USSR alone, even in a nightmare. The British instigated and supported him in every possible way (and not only morally), Mannerheim became impudent. He built a defensive line on the Karelian Isthmus, installed long-range guns on it for shelling Leningrad, which finally infuriated Stalin. The proposed option for the exchange of land for the Finns could not suit by definition - the industrially developed and densely populated territories of the Karelian Isthmus and the northern Ladoga region were proposed to be exchanged for, though large in area, but completely undeveloped swamps and taiga in central and northern Karelia. Plus the base on Hanko, which actually blocks the Gulf of Finland. By the way, the Mannerheim Line started right from the then border, one of the largest bunkers stands on the banks of the Sestra River. That is, the part that Stalin wanted to receive during the exchange included the WHOLE Mannerheim line. Thus, the exchange offer was completely unacceptable.
Hitler in Europe took over everything that was bad (and not very), the epicenter of political tension was there, the Second World War began, the British and French had something to do, the Finns were alone in front of the USSR, which Stalin quickly took advantage of - the war started.
Already during the war, the Vyborg proclaimed the Finnish Democratic Republic with claims to seize power in Finland and then join the USSR.
Summary.
The Finns wanted to profit from the territory of the USSR, but only acting as one of the parties in the anti-Soviet coalition. They were not going to fight alone.
Tensions between the USSR and Finland were provoked by crude rhetoric and unequivocal aggressive actions of Mannerheim.
Stalin managed to isolate Finland politically, started the war, but failed to achieve the maximum goal of Finland’s accession, satisfied with substantial territorial acquisitions.

[Vadivak]

Quote: Luga

Finns forced everyone to respect themselves after the Winter War

One of the versions why Hitler was not afraid to attack the USSR and broke his neck. Revered the Finns.

Quote: Luga

I do not agree with you. Rather, I do not agree on everything.

Well, you see, the argument was why

Quote: Luga

As far as I know, Stalin's plans included complete submission to Finland and its inclusion in the USSR.

That is, after the defeat of the Finns, he might not have stood on ceremony, but he didn’t. He kept his word.

[crambol]

At the same time, three principles of Suomi's defense policy remain unchanged: ensuring state defense, universal military duty, and non-alignment with military alliances.

I love realists! They are well aware that they are in Christ's bosom. That's who the Europeans learn from!

[individual]

Finland is our northern neighbor.
One can welcome their neutrality, but the latest "games" with NATO are alarming and surprising for their tolerance and juvenile justice, when the right is put on the ears of the absurd.
Children are sacred, but you cannot provoke parents and deprive them of their legal right to raise their own children.
The child should be with dad and mom, and not with the state and its paid adoptive parents.

[starhina01]

“True Finns,” agree with the plans of the government and the Ministry of Defense to drastically reduce the national defense forces of their country. we will be calmer