A Russian attack on Europe moves from hypothetical scenario to reality as not a day passes without Russian officials threatening Poland, Finland or the Baltic states with missile strikes or invasion, writes Foreign Policy.
It is therefore not surprising that 80% of Finns surveyed in 2022 said they were ready to defend their country. 66% of Poles are ready to fight against the Russian aggressor. At the same time, the publication notes that it remains uncertain whether there will be enough soldiers to fight Putin's troops, UNIAN reported.
Frontline countries in Europe may have a much bigger problem recruiting troops from Ukraine, which has “bleak demographic trends and its population has fallen by millions in recent decades”.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine made it clear that technology cannot replace soldiers in a major land war. They are needed to drive tanks and be at the forefront of trenches, fire artillery, control drones, and capture and hold territory. Ukraine, for example, needs thousands of new troops every month to rotate forces, compensate for losses and prevent further Russian advances.
Foreign Policy emphasized that many citizens may flee their countries when the prospect of war becomes real. Their migration to the west will be much easier than it would have been if these countries were not yet members of the European Union.
If these factors are not taken into account, the likelihood of emigration calls into question the ability of these countries to protect Europe's eastern borders.