After years of neutrality and distance from the conflict between the West and Russia, Finland ignored all warnings from Russia and officially announced its intention to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The Finnish government’s decision is the result of Russia’s war against Ukraine, a European country that shares its longest land border (about 1,300 kilometers) with Russia, realizing the danger and possibility of becoming a theater of Russian military operations at any time.
Finnish-Russian relations have been filled with many tense moments and have erupted into a real war that has lasted for months. In this war, the Finnish army, despite its small size, lack of equipment and soldiers, was recorded in history for its steadfastness in the face of the Soviet Red Army.
Finland’s acceptance of NATO means that the alliance is now on Russia’s borders, and that’s what Moscow wants to eliminate with a war on Ukraine, so why did Finland make this decision?
Has Russia ever fought a war with Finland?
Between 1939 and 1940, a war known as the “Winter War” or the Russo-Finnish War broke out, with a small Finnish army facing a huge Red Army.
The cause of this war is almost similar to the current situation in the region. Moscow fears that Finland will become a base for enemy military operations, and Finland is in the Soviet Union’s plans to annex it.
Although Finland declared its neutrality in World War II, it was not enough from the point of view of the Soviet Union, which demanded some concessions on Finnish territory.
On November 30, 1939, the Soviet Union fabricated a border incident and announced military action against Finland, despite the constant delays in Finland. At the start of the battle, the Red Army suffered significant human and material losses due to misjudgment of the readiness of the Finnish army.
The Red Army initially sent out obsolete equipment and untrained troops in the harsh winter weather conditions, which kept the Finnish army withstanding for more than 3 months until the Red Army gave up its baggage.
By February 1940, the exhaustion of the Finnish army, coupled with the lack of equipment and supplies, finally prompted Finland to sign an agreement with the Soviet Union in March 1940 to cede 11% of Finland’s territory to the Soviet Union.
In 1948, the Soviet Union would force Finland to sign a friendship agreement between the two countries, which saved Finland from a lot of trouble with neighboring Russia.
Why should Finland join NATO?
There are three reasons why Finland is eager to apply to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The first is Russia’s war against Ukraine. Finland considers itself the country most vulnerable to Ukraine’s influence because of its geographical location and its well-developed relations with the West.
The second reason is that the mood of the Finnish people has changed a lot after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, from being against the idea of joining NATO to being very supportive.
According to a poll conducted by the Finnish Public Service Foundation (Yle), 76 percent of Finns now support joining NATO, compared with 12 percent who oppose it.
The third reason is the desire to benefit from Article V of the NATO Charter, which states that any aggression against any country in the alliance is considered an attack against all other countries.
Finnish military capabilities
Finland’s military capabilities cannot be compared to Russia’s, but Finland is preparing for the war.
Finland has a population of 5.5 million and an army of 257,000, including 19,250 regular troops, 238,000 reserves, 100 battle tanks, 107 fighter jets, 19 helicopters, 613 armored personnel carriers, and 672 artillery pieces.
If Finland joins NATO, Finland is expected to bring U.S. F-35s to its bases, and the Finnish military also has experience operating in icy regions.
How can I join NATO?
After a decades-long policy of neutrality between Russia and the Western camp, Finland has decided to move fully towards the Western camp, joining NATO after years of internal discussions and disputes.
The approval process for NATO membership can take about a year or more, but both the US and UK have announced that they will provide the necessary military support in the event of any attack on Finland during its application to join.
The conditions for joining the Union are national democracy, fair treatment of minorities and a commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts, all of which Finland already has.
There is also a condition for the country to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on military spending, which is also met by Finland, which already plans to increase military spending by 70% over the next four years.
Russia’s reaction
Russia’s foreign ministry warned in a strong tone of the consequences of Finland’s announcement of its intention to join NATO, considering that Russia’s threats to Finland over the years were to be expected if Finland considered joining NATO.
Moscow doesn’t have much leverage to pressure Finland, which relies on only a limited amount of Russian gas and oil, and since the war in Ukraine has prepared for the possibility that Russia decides to cut off oil and gas.
Among Finnish fears is that Russia will conduct cyberattacks on vital installations that will disrupt the lives of citizens and make them reject the idea of joining NATO. However, the Financial Times and The Washington Post agreed that Finland has highly secure electronic systems.