© Photo provided by the Finnish Border Guard / Rajavartiolaitos Finland is bolstering its border defenses against the Russian Federation.
Finland is readying itself to repel Russian hostility, whether it comes as hybrid operations or a complete invasion. Conscripts are undergoing training as elite marksmen, prepared for any eventuality along the 1,350 km frontier with Russia, Euronews indicates.
At Finland’s heavily guarded boundary with Russia, border officials express readiness for all possibilities — from hybrid menaces like GPS interference, unmanned aerial vehicle flights, or employing migration as a means of exertion. Finland’s deterrence system is increasingly perceived as an example for other European nations.
“We stand ready to contribute to Finland's territorial security,” Finnish border official Mikko Lehmus stated to the news source. “We are readying our conscripts for a comprehensive conflict if required.”
He mentioned that Murmansk, the location of the Russian nuclear naval force, is merely 150–200 kilometers away from the boundary on the Russian side.
In 2023, Russia dispatched civilian migrants over the Finnish border as part of a hybrid campaign aimed at Ukraine's allies, intending to create disunity and disarray.
Employing civilians as leverage on NATO and EU boundaries subsequently evolved into a prevalent Kremlin strategy.
Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania have encountered comparable circumstances on their frontiers with Russia's ally, Belarus. Hundreds of migrants, encompassing families with young offspring, have been compelled to traverse from Belarus, according to EU authorities and their respective administrations.
According to Polish physicians and the non-profit organization Polish Emergency Medical Service, a minimum of two minors, inclusive of a one-year-old, succumbed to hypothermia after Polish officials barred migrants from accessing healthcare and refuge.
In November 2023, Finland resolved to entirely seal off its 1,350-kilometer border with Russia after Moscow's endeavors to channel migrants onto its terrain.
Helsinki has likewise put a hold on the handling of asylum requests, a mechanism stipulated under international humanitarian statutes for individuals seeking protection from warfare or persecution.
The legislation, designated “On Provisional Measures to Counteract Instrumental Migration,” has since been prolonged until the culmination of the ongoing year.
The choice to definitively shut the border was spearheaded by the then Minister of Justice of Finland, Anna-Maia Henriksson.
“It was the correct decision,” Henriksson communicated to Euronews at the Jooseppi border crossing. “I rest easy at night because the pivotal element is that the Russians understand that we possess highly competent border guards,” she conveyed.
“They (the Russians) are aware that we Finns have consistently been prepared,” the former military personnel added.
Even amidst the stretch of comparative serenity following the conclusion of the Cold War, when tensions between Russia and the West appeared to have lessened, Finland never relinquished its caution.
19-year-old conscript and rifleman Lauri Stenback recounted that he had never handled a firearm before his enlistment, yet during his 10-month term, he unearthed a natural aptitude for shooting.
“The inaugural instance I fired was in the military,” Stenbak informed Euronews at the Finnish military facilities in Jooseppi.
“You commence with a standard assault weapon, and it was within the army that I discerned I possessed a knack for shooting, consequently leading me to the function of a marksman,” he elaborated.
“We are training for surveillance,” Stenback conveyed. “Should conflict erupt, we shall infiltrate beyond the boundary behind enemy ranks to accumulate intelligence and endeavor to pinpoint crucial objectives,” he appended.
Concurrently, Russia's war also bears grave repercussions for the native communities dwelling on both sides of the frontier, notably the Sami.
The Sami are offspring of itinerant tribes traditionally linked with reindeer husbandry. Presently, they approximate 100,000 in Finland, Russia, Norway, and Sweden.
Nevertheless, stemming from Russia's antagonism against Ukraine, the Russian fragment of this populace has discovered itself detached from the remainder. Certain Sami males have succeeded in securing protected status in Norway subsequent to fleeing coerced mobilization into the Russian armed forces, representatives of the people disclosed to Euronews.
“One of the dreadful aspects is that a segment of our Sami brethren in Russia were forcibly drafted into the Russian army and dispatched to the front in Ukraine,” articulated Pirita Näkkäläjärvi, president of the Sami Parliament, in Lapland.
A minimum of seven young Sami men perished in the war participating on the Russian faction, she stated. “This constitutes an immense loss for a modest community of roughly 2,000 individuals in Russia,” she supplemented.