Satellite images show that Russia is modernizing its military bases along the border with Finland and arming itself aggressively. In Finland, they are following these developments with concern and preparing citizens for actions in crisis situations.
Finland's border with Russia is over 1,300 kilometers long. There are only border fences in individual sections. Finn Emil Kastehelmi is closely monitoring what is happening on the other side of the border furrow, notes ARD. He analyzes satellite images that show that Russia is currently arming itself along the border.
„We see that Russia is modernizing its old military bases along the border. They are changing the structure of the army and the air force. They are permanently increasing the number of their troops. "We assume that Russia will continue on this path and expand its military infrastructure and military bases," he told German public broadcaster ARD.
For Ukraine or against Finland?
Emil has founded a company that analyzes freely available information - geodata and satellite images. He believes that Russia will use the modernized bases to train soldiers for the war in Ukraine. This is not yet a direct threat to Finland. However, the situation worries him: "In our immediate vicinity there is a hostile country that is currently arming itself aggressively. I do not believe that they will launch an attack in the form of a classic war soon. But we have to keep an eye on the situation".
Finland changed its security policy after the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The country has been a NATO member for two years, and in May the Finnish armed forces trained together with soldiers from Germany, Estonia, Lithuania and the United Kingdom. This is another reason for Finnish Defense Minister Antti Haakonen to be calm.
"Finland is safe. We know very well that Russia will continue to strengthen its military potential in the long term, even after the war in Ukraine. It remains an aggressive and dangerous neighbor for all of Europe. That is why we are also strengthening our defense and are in close contact with our NATO allies," he told ARD.
"Hot peace" in Europe
Tensions are rising, especially in the Baltic Sea region. For example, Russian bombers have been alleged to have repeatedly violated the airspace of other countries, and at the end of May the Russian military published photos of an exercise in the Baltic Sea - involving 3,000 soldiers and 20 warships.
Joel Linnainmäki from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs tells ARD that in view of the current security situation in Europe, one can speak of a "hot peace": "Russia is actively trying to influence and divide Western countries. Sabotage is being carried out repeatedly in the Baltic Sea. This shows how tense the situation is".
Civil society is also preparing for this. Various civil and national defense trainings are being held. The measures in Finland are numerous. Everyone can find out how to react in an emergency, how to use emergency power generators, etc.
"We Finns always strive to be independent"
There are also special courses for women to prepare them for actions in crisis and emergency situations.
"In Finland, we are masters of survival. We Finns always strive to be independent. I think this is due to our history and experience during World War II," says Riikka Itaranta from the Women's Training Union.
Being prepared for anything that can happen - in Finland, this seems to be a mass attitude, says the report by the German public media.