Posted on 04/04/2023 7:42:11 AM PDT by Twotone
BRUSSELS (AP) — The blue-and-white Finnish flag rises outside NATO headquarters Tuesday afternoon, making Finland a member and doubling Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance.
The move is a strategic and political blow to President Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about NATO’s expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for his country’s war with Ukraine.
“What we see is that President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a declared aim to get less NATO,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. “He’s getting the exact opposite.”
Like all NATO members, Finland will benefit from the collective security guarantee that an attack on one is considered an attack on all.
NATO has said that it has no immediate intention to step up its presence in Finland. Some members have deployed troops there for war games over the last year.
Russia immediately warned that it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country
Finland has substantial, well-trained armed forces with elite troops capable of operating in the sub-zero temperatures of the high north. The Nordic country also has a large reserve army and is investing heavily in new equipment, including dozens of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets.
The Finnish flag rising between the French and the Estonian in a ceremony scheduled for 1330 GMT will complete the fastest accession process in the organization’s recent history .
Alarmed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. Neighboring Sweden also applied, but its accession process will take longer.
The ceremony falls on NATO’s very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
And heavily forested at that!
As for the Swedes that some of our beloved Zeepers are quacking about - Erdogan is making an example of them.
The fence won’t, but all those trees will.
Finland has one of the most professional, highly trained and best equipped militaries in Europe. They just need to stay on/near their home turf and Russia’s ass gets kicked. Russia is cornered, afraid and pissed.
“He is believed to have killed over 500 enemy soldiers during the Winter War.”
“He was dressed completely in white camouflage; Soviet troops were not issued camouflage uniforms for most of the war, making them easily visible to snipers in winter conditions. Joseph Stalin had purged military experts in the late 1930s as part of the Great Purge, and the Red Army was consequently highly disorganized.”
“Hidden in a snow pit, he could lie still and observe the enemy for long periods of time. It was Häyhä’s custom to move, well before daybreak, to the position he had prepared, and stay there until after sunset. He would frequently pack dense mounds of snow in front of his position to conceal himself, provide padding for his rifle, and reduce the characteristic puff of snow stirred up by the muzzle blast. He was known to keep snow in his mouth while sniping to prevent his breath in the cold air from giving away his position.”
“He spent 14 months recovering from his wounds and endured 26 surgeries.”
“He was asked if he felt remorse for having killed so many people. He replied, ‘I did what I was told to do, as well as I could. There would be no Finland unless everyone else had done the same.’”
From the Wikipedia page linked to
“I don’t think the Russians are afraid of Finland.”
Yes, their rapid invasion and control of Ukraine should embolden that confidence.
“Murmansk is the Achilles heal of Russia’s northern fleet.”
Russia probably has nuclear-armed submarines off the east coast of the USA.
“their rapid invasion and control of Ukraine”
The Russian Federation controls most of the pro-Russian areas.
Lots of misconceptions, fact is poking the Bear repeatedly with cries of war, war, war by the collective West AND further NATO encroachment will not end well for the collective West.
Carry on western war cheerleaders, you are sealing the West’s fate.
This bullying strategy is so idiotic, one has to wonder if the Biden regime isn't doing this intentionally to devastate this country and implement the WEF's Great Reset.
The only majority pro-Russian area in Ukraine pre-2014 was Crimea - and that too, more a plurality (46&) than a majority.
There was no oblast that was majority pro-Russian, not even Donetsk or Luhansk
—> In a straight ground war of Ukraine + NATO vs Russia. NATO+U would have rolled halfway to Moscow by now.
Now do:
“In a straight ground war of Ukraine + NATO vs Russia + China + Iran + North Korea…”
Because that’s how you neocons realigned the world.
Now add hypersonic missiles.
You guys seem determined to kill a hundred million people.
I was quite surprised a few years ago while traveling in Finland. I was in a train station and the St. Petersburg train was also there. Never knew it was so close.
It was Mid-Summer Holiday in Finland and full daylight at 3 am. Hard to sleep with no darkness.
Russia has no intention of attacking Finland. And Biden/our Military knows it.
Until the lakes freeze.
True, but where is their home base? Where do they get resupplied? Where is part of their command and control? Another way to look at this would be imagining Russia having troops within several hundred kilometers of New London, CT and could cut off I-95 within a few days. How would you feel, what would you think about that?
It’s just one piece of the strategic puzzle. Think through a battle plan to take out Murmansk, or to just starve them out. What are the pieces to do that? What does Russia have to do to defend and does that make Russia weak elsewhere?
By the way, I have been against NATO expansion. I think the world is a safer place with neutral, non allied, buffer states between Russia and Western Europe. That includes Ukraine and Finland. But, this peon ain’t making the decisions, so I will try to look at the reality of the way things are. Russia was made weaker today, but the world is less safe.
Read my post #36.
“ You guys seem determined to kill a hundred million people.”
Yes they do. They Probably miss Cheney too.
I remember when they had this country fooled into thinking neocon= patriotism.
When actually, too often they have used our greatest assets to interfere in foreign matters and to push our agendas. It cost much less to at least try to negotiate. Instead, color revolutions and replacing national leaders seem to be the trend. There is nothing patriotic or noble about this war. Just a reminder of more of the same which is alienating this country.
During World War II, the Germans and their Finnish allies were unable to sever the link between Murmansk, the USSR's main White Sea port, and the rest of the country. That port was a principal entry point for American and British aid during World War II.
It’s utter insanity what idiots here are cheerleading for. As you said, we have severe problems right here.
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