General Kivinen: there is no military threat from Russia to Finland
From a defensive point of view, there is no threat to Finland from Russia, Timo Kivinen, commander of the Finnish armed forces, said in an interview with iROZHLAS. Despite the fact that Helsinki is now in NATO, it is used to relying on itself and has accumulated a lot of experience in traditional defense, the general added.
Despite the fact that Finland is now under the protective umbrella of the North Atlantic Alliance, something has not changed. The Finns, who have maintained military neutrality for decades, are used to relying on themselves. "After the Cold War, we focused on the traditional defense of the Fatherland," said the commander of the Finnish Armed Forces, General Timo Kivinen. He also told what it is like to have a border with the Russian Federation with a length of 1300 kilometers. It has been crossed by illegal migrants in recent weeks. He told about all this in an interview with our radio.
iROZHLAS: Last week Finland closed several border crossings with Russia, from where migrants from Syria, Iraq and other countries have recently arrived. Helsinki accused Moscow of helping them illegally enter Finnish territory. What do you think will happen next?
Timo Kivinen: First of all, I would like to emphasize that even earlier, when we decided to join NATO last spring, we expected such hybrid actions, so to speak. This did not come as a surprise to us. Our border services are busy with this problem. Both the army and the police are connected. Let's see how long this will last. It's too early for estimates yet.
Since late summer, more than five hundred refugees from third countries have entered Finland to date. Yes, it's not as much as on the Polish-Belarusian border two years ago. Besides, it's winter now, and this also plays a role.
— You mentioned Belarus. There we saw a similar crisis on the border two years ago. The Belarusian regime helped people from Africa and the Middle East who wanted to get into the European Union. But Poland refused to accept them, and Belarus did not want to let them back in. Thus, people were stuck at the border. Some died then. Have any conclusions been drawn from this crisis about how to act in such situations?
— As for various technical and tactical means to solve the problem, our border guards, of course, consulted with colleagues from Poland and the Baltic States, adopted their experience. Now Finnish border guards are keeping the situation under control.
But, as always, we must prepare for the next likely stages. That is, we must be prepared for the fact that the number of migrants or refugees may increase dramatically.
— Do you assume that Russia will not calm down and that even more people will try to cross the Finnish border illegally with its help?
— I didn't say that. I said that we should prepare for such a situation. We do not know how events will develop further, but it is possible that the flow will increase.
We are ready
— The border of Finland and Russia reaches 1300 kilometers. What does this border look like? Is there a fence there, or is there nothing there, and you can cross the border anywhere?
— There are several border crossings there, and some of them are now closed. Those that are at the top, in the north, are open. If someone needs to get from Russia to Finland, they will have to go through the north. Where there are no border crossings, there is just a forest growing. But it is very difficult for a person to cross the border outside the official checkpoints. Especially now, in winter. There are no roads there.
Although, of course, we monitor the border with Russia along its entire length, which is 1,342 kilometers. We are also prepared for the fact that people will try to get into Finland bypassing checkpoints.
— Last weekend, Russians living in Finland in Helsinki protested against the partial closure of border crossings. Russian Russian Diaspora in Finland, or Finns with Russian roots, should we expect problems in your opinion?
— We have a democracy. If people want to express their opinion on this issue, then let them do so. The protest was peaceful, and I would not say that it turned out to be massive. I think that the number of citizens with Russian roots in our country is approaching 80 thousand. Of course, they have relatives in Russia. Now, if they want to go to Russia, they will have to use the border points that are open and which are located in the north. The new conditions affect their ability to keep in touch with Russia.
— Finland joined the North Atlantic Alliance in April. Have there been any new problems with Russia in this regard? Russia, for example, has launched extensive activities in the polar regions, where it is building military bases.
— If we talk about the defense aspect, Russia has transferred all available units from our borders to the Ukrainian front. So militarily, everything is calm.
In the north, on the Kola Peninsula, which is quite close to our borders, Russian strategic nuclear facilities are based. Thus, they have become more active at sea and in the air, conduct exercises in the north, are active in the Barents Sea, as well as in the west — in the North Atlantic.
But I repeat that from a defensive point of view there is no threat to Finland. Russians are busy with Ukraine. Besides, we are now members of NATO.
— At the moment, Finland is the last country to join the North Atlantic Alliance. What can the Finnish army teach other member countries?
— First of all, I want to say that my tasks do not include training colleagues from other countries. Over the years, we have accumulated experience and are ready to share it if others want it.
We have experience of actions here in the north. This is the military side of the matter. But there is also a general concept of security and total defense. We are one of those nations that did not abolish compulsory military service, and even after the Cold War we focused on the traditional defense of the fatherland. Although many countries have destroyed the territorial defense system. We didn't do that.
This is discussed in article number three of the North Atlantic Treaty (it says that each member country should work to improve its defense capability to repel an armed strike - author's note). Perhaps this is where we can help others at the moment when they are building up the territorial defense of their territory again.
80 percent
— Finland is known for its active public approach to defense. It follows from the results of public opinion polls in the Czech Republic that the Czechs are not enthusiastic about the idea of defending their country in the event of a threat. It's different with the Finns. Why?
— I think the main thing here is to understand our history and, above all, the Second World War. We managed to protect our country from a strong power — the Soviet Union. It had a huge impact on our psyche. In fact, this is at the heart of everything. Hence the compulsory military service, since every family is still connected with the army. First, people go through military service, and then they remain in reserve. This applies to men, and women can enter the service on their own initiative.
Public opinion polls concerning national defense and security have been conducted in our country for several decades. In the last of them, the Finns were asked: "Are you ready to defend Finland with weapons in your hands?" More than 80% of our citizens are ready for this.
But it is also important that we have so far relied only on ourselves in terms of defense. It remained in the minds of our people. To survive, you need to remain united and ready to contribute.
— You said that women in Finland can do military service at will. How many of them come?
— In the last two or three years, about a thousand young women who voluntarily underwent military training have come to serve every year. In total, since the mid-90s, we have trained about 15 thousand women. We continue to work to educate more women.
In the past, all armies focused on men. But women bring something to the army that we need now. We are talking about greater diversity in terms of thinking and vision of tasks.
When I was young, it was difficult for my generation to come to terms with the fact that women serve in the army, because it's hard work and so on. But today, when I talk to young people, I no longer see any difference between them. I want to say that young men and women are able to do what they need to do together. In the years of my youth, everything was different. But I think it's good that more young women are interested in the army, and we are trying to increase their number.
There is a discussion in society whether it is worth making military service mandatory for both sexes. Or maybe it is worth organizing a service for those who do not undergo military service? Let's see how the situation will change in five to ten years.
— Did the Finnish armed forces have to make any changes to join the North Atlantic Alliance?
— Yes, of course. Finland has been a NATO partner country for almost 30 years (before joining the North Atlantic Alliance since 1994, Finland was part of the Partnership for Peace program, created for the armies of countries outside the alliance — author's note). But there is a difference between partnership and full membership. Now, at the beginning of our membership, of course, the most important thing is the integration of our national defense plan and its coordination with the plans of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Of course, we must contribute to the collective deterrence and defense beyond the Finnish borders. This will affect the structure of our armed forces in a certain way. We must also contribute to collective deterrence and defense in peacetime. In short, yes, there will be changes.
— Will Finnish soldiers in the future participate in alliance missions, for example, in Kosovo or on the eastern wing of NATO, where eight NATO formations are currently stationed, designed to deter Russia from aggression?
— We are already participating in the mission in Kosovo, and our fighters have also been sent to Iraq as part of the mission. Now we are thinking about how we can participate in the alliance's missions to protect airspace. There is a possibility that we will join the formations on the eastern wing of NATO, but Finland itself is a state on the border of the alliance with Russia. So we need to keep the balance. After all, our primary task, even though we have joined the North Atlantic Alliance, is, of course, to take care of deterrence and defense here in Finland.
Author: Katerzhina Gruntova (Kateřina Gruntová)
