In recent months there has been a growing fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin could expand his operations outside of Ukraine and invade another neighbouring country.
One of the potential countries he could invade is Finland, which shares a 832-mile border with the country currently waging an illegal war, and today he said he was planning to send troops to the border with the NATO country.
If he makes good on his promise and invades the NATO country, it is unknown how his attempt will go – other than pushing NATO to action.
However, this wouldn’t be the first time Russia has gone up against Finland. More than 80 years ago, what was then the Soviet Union under Stalin attempted to invade the country during what was referred to as the Winter War.
Beginning in 1939 the conflict, also known as the Russo-Finnish War, saw the Red Army go toe to toe with Finland’s much smaller armed forces. It began when the then-neutral Finland refused to agree to concessions proposed by the Soviet Union who faked a border incident to justify their invasion on November 30, 1939.
What followed was a little like the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia War with the much bigger Red Army falling foul of Finland’s resourceful troops and knowledge of the area. However, unlike Ukraine, the West didn’t gather around Finland to push back against Russian forces.
Instead, the intense fighting took its toll and by February 1940, the Finnish forces were severely depleted from the fighting. On March 12, 1940, Finland signed the Treaty of Moscow and gave 11 percent of its territory to Russia.
Despite the incredibly short length of the war, it resulted in one of the most famous weapons in modern conflict. The Imperial War Museum say that the Molotov Cocktail, named after the Soviet Union’s Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, was made famous by the war.
Fast forward to 2024 and Finland has joined other NATO members in taking part in some of the biggest military exercises since the Cold War as part of Operation Steadfast Defender. Finland joined NATO on April 4 last year, expanding the organisation’s defence alliance against Russia.
Speaking about the country’s membership, Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö said: “The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins. Each country maximises its own security.
“So does Finland. At the same time, NATO membership strengthens our international position and room for manoeuvre. Finland’s membership is not targeted against anyone. Nor does it change the foundations or objectives of Finland’s foreign and security policy. Finland is a stable and predictable Nordic country that seeks peaceful resolution of disputes.”
