It is unlikely that Russia will challenge NATO with an attack on a member state in the coming years, said the new chief of the Finnish armed forces. However, he added that it was quite possible that Russia would continue with its hybrid attacks, including jamming signals and interfering in elections, Reuters and BTA reported.
Some senior Western officials such as US President Joe Biden and the defense ministers of Germany and Denmark have expressed concerns that Moscow's long-term plans could include an attack on the alliance.
"Of course, it is always possible that Article Five will be tested, but if we take the right measures and maintain our unity, I think an attack is unlikely", Gen. Janne Jaakola told Reuters.
Jaakola, whose job also includes closely monitoring Russia's actions along the long border with Finland, said that right now Moscow is too busy with military preparations for a new summer offensive in Ukraine to think about an attack on NATO.
In Late last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the idea of an attack on NATO as ridiculous, but the Kremlin warned that conflict between Russia and the alliance would be inevitable if European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization sent troops to fight in Ukraine.
Regardless, according to Yakola, Moscow will likely continue with hybrid attacks against European countries in the form of GPS jamming, influence operations and subversion against neighboring countries such as Finland by flooding them with streams of illegal immigrants.
The Kremlin regularly denies interfering in elections and using migration as a tool. They did not respond to requests for comment on Estonia's allegations last month of purposeful GPS jamming, but the Russian presidency has previously denied that Russia has attempted to develop such technologies.
"The goal of the Russians' actions is to create as much division as possible in European ranks so that our unity and cohesion are weakened," Jaakola said.
The general took charge of the northern country's defense on April 1, the one-year anniversary of Finland's accession to NATO. Helsinki has decided to apply for membership in the Western alliance in 2022. in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to joining NATO, Finland has increased its defense budget, modernized its fighter aircraft, concluded a bilateral defense cooperation pact with the United States and intends to double its ammunition production capacity by 2027.
"The direction of our defense and our deterrent potential is upward," he said.