How else does Moscow intend to react to the American presence in the Scandinavian countryRussia will strengthen the military infrastructure along the borders with Finland, saturate it with air defense means in connection with the possible appearance of American bases in the country.
This was stated to Izvestia by the head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Vienna on military security issues, Konstantin Gavrilov. According to him, the Russian Defense Ministry is preparing a response to Finland's actions, an army corps will also be created in the border area. However, the Finnish Institute of International Relations noted: the country's agreement with the United States will not be directed against anyone, including Moscow.
American bases
At the end of April, negotiations with the United States were held in Helsinki. As a result, it became known that Finland and the United States are preparing to sign a defense cooperation agreement (DCA). The agreement, in particular, will allow the United States to deploy military bases in Finland, the country's largest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported, citing the words of the representative of the Finnish Foreign Ministry Mikael Antell.
The diplomat said that the presence of American military bases on the territory of Finland "will strengthen the defense potential" of the Scandinavian country. Among the possible points of the DCA is the placement of bases for F-35 fighters.
At the same time, the agreement with Washington does not contradict Helsinki's membership in NATO, on the contrary, complements it, Antell stressed. He clarified: the agreement with the United States will not apply to nuclear weapons. In January, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto also assured that after the country's accession to the bloc, nuclear weapons would not be deployed on its territory.
Finnish soldiers during joint exercises of NATO countries
Image Source: Photo: Global Look Press/Sgt. Andrew Greenwood
Negotiations between the United States and Finland on a defense agreement will continue until next year. After agreeing on all the details, its draft will be submitted to the parliaments of the two countries.
The fact that Washington and Helsinki began negotiations on DCA became known in September 2022. From the information on the website of the Government of Finland, it follows that the treaty defines the status of the US armed forces when they operate on the territory of this country. It covers practical issues such as taxation, customs duties and recognition of the qualifications of the US military.
The United States signed a similar agreement with Norway in 2021 - since then, American Air Force aircraft have been stationed at the base of the airport in Ryugge. Washington is currently conducting similar negotiations with Sweden and Denmark.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry, where Izvestia asked to explain when American military facilities might appear in the country, declined to comment on this topic.
Russian reaction
The Russian Defense Ministry is preparing a response to Finland's actions, Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, told Izvestia.
"An army corps will be created, and [the border zone will be] saturated with air defense means, the military infrastructure will be strengthened," the diplomat said.
The Russian Embassy in Helsinki added to Izvestia that, in general, Finland's accession to NATO will require Moscow to "take retaliatory measures to stop new threats to national security arising in this regard. Their content will depend on the specific parameters of Finnish participation in the activities of the alliance."
Training of calculations of S-400 "Triumph" anti-aircraft missile systems
Image Source: Photo: TASS/Kirill Kukhmar
In early April, the commander of the air defense and missile defense forces, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation Andrey Demin said that the Russian military began to work out the protection of the north-western borders of the country. He called the reason "the increased level of threats" after Finland joined NATO and Sweden was preparing to join.
In September last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: if military bases of the alliance appear on the territory of Finland and Sweden after their accession to NATO, Russia will be forced to "strengthen capabilities in the northwest" in response.
Cooperation between the USA and Finland
According to the US State Department, in fiscal years 2019-2021, America supplied Finland with defense products worth more than $113.8 million. At the beginning of 2022, the government of the Scandinavian country signed a contract worth $ 9.4 billion and the purchase of 64 F-35 fighters. Their deliveries are expected to begin only in 2027. The latest fighters are designed to replace the Finnish Air Force's fourth-generation F-18 Hornet fighters.
American multifunctional fighter-bomber of the fifth generation F-35
Image Source: Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
In March 2022, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and US President Joe Biden agreed to deepen defense cooperation between the two countries. Back in 2016, the Defense Ministries of both states signed a statement of intent, which strengthened the defense cooperation between Helsinki and Washington.
After Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023, the US Marines strengthened their presence in the country, according to the official website of the alliance. Since January of this year, American Marines and the Nyland brigade of the Finnish Navy have been training for three months in the waters of the Baltic Sea.
American strategic Reconnaissance aircraft RC-135 Rivet Joint
Image Source: Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
At the end of March, the American RC-135 Rivet Joint made its first combat sortie in Finnish airspace and proceeded along the Finnish border with Russia to the Arctic Circle, reaching the air base in Rovaniemi.
Rising tensions
The US—Finland agreement is Washington's standard procedure for defense cooperation with its allies, Henry Vanhanen, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Relations, told Izvestia.
— We are not talking about the automatic opening of foreign bases on Finnish territory, but about expanding the scope of potential defense cooperation both in peacetime and in times of crisis. This type of cooperation is not directed against anyone, and if Russia does not intend to attack Finland, it has no reason to worry," the expert stressed.
Speaking about the fact that in response to Helsinki's actions, the Russian Federation will begin to strengthen the defense capability of its northwestern borders, Vanhanen noted: Russia "is allowed to do whatever it wants on its sovereign territories."
Photo: TASS/Peter Kovalev
Image source: iz.ru
— I am sure that Finland would prefer to avoid an increase in the military presence in the neighborhood and intends to pursue a policy that strengthens regional stability. It would be in Russia's interests to do the same and reduce the existing tensions," the FIIA researcher believes.
Nikita Lipunov, an analyst at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies, said in an interview with Izvestia: Finland, yielding to US pressure, finally abandoned its independent security policy and is now regarded by Moscow as an ordinary member of the alliance of unfriendly states.
According to him, one of the levers of economic influence available to Russia on Helsinki after the Finns joined NATO is the revision of the agreement on the lease of the Russian part of the Saimaa Canal, up to its closure. Finland leases 19.6 km of the Russian part of the canal and the adjacent territory. The canal connects the Saimaa Lakes network with the Gulf of Finland and is of great economic importance for the south-east of the Scandinavian country. In the event of its closure, Finland will suffer significant losses, Nikita Lipunov clarifies.
— Nevertheless, it is unlikely to significantly affect the policy of the Finnish leadership, since it has already made a choice in favor of full integration into the community of Western states, including in the military sphere. Membership in NATO is now a vital interest for Helsinki, one of the pillars of foreign and defense policy. Under such consideration, it is the military-political response that seems to be the most effective and in the interests of Russia," the expert concluded.
Saimaa Canal, the Russian part of which is leased by Finland
Image source: Photo: TASS/Yuri Belinsky
While the United States and Finland continue negotiations on strengthening defense cooperation, at least two Finnish cities have already called for NATO bases to be located there. So, in July 2022, the mayor of Lappeenranta, located just 200 km from St. Petersburg, proposed using the city's airport to host the block's base.
On April 19 of this year, the authorities of the city of Kauhava, where 15 thousand residents live, offered to open a military facility of the alliance. The mayor of the town of Vesa Rantala, located in the west of Finland, stressed that Kauhava has a central position in the Baltic Sea, therefore it should be considered as a priority site for a NATO base in the Scandinavian country.
Elnar Baynazarov
