Bloomberg: Finland Is Preparing For War With Russia Based On The Ukrainian Experience

They decided to secure the border with anti-tank trenches.

Finland has decided to consider installing a system of anti-tank barriers along its eastern border, following Ukraine’s example, according to Bloomberg Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki, commander of the country’s ground forces.

According to him, despite the protracted war in Ukraine, Russia has begun to rebuild its military capabilities and replenish its stockpiles of equipment. Since Finland is unable to prevent this rearmament, the authorities are focusing on deterrence. It is necessary to convince the Russian military leadership that any attempt at an attack is doomed to failure, Välimäki emphasized.

“Everything we are doing now is aimed at creating a deterrence threshold so that Russia does not go any further, whether we are talking about the alliance as a whole or specifically about Finland,” he said. Ukrainian forces, the general noted, are using extensive defensive lines and anti-tank barriers to hold back advancing forces. According to him, neither side has yet been able to find a reliable way to break through such defenses in order to resume large-scale maneuver warfare. The length of the Russian-Finnish border is 1,340 km—roughly half of NATO’s entire land border with Russia.

Finnish authorities will have to determine the effectiveness of deploying such fortifications in the harsh northern weather conditions. “If we start building fortifications and digging anti-tank trenches or barriers as deep as those in Ukraine, how long will it take before our natural environment turns them into artificial ponds?” Välimäki noted.

According to him, Russia has already begun restocking its depots with modern T-90 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and 2S19 “Msta-S” self-propelled howitzers.

Earlier, Bild reported that in Finland, amid the growing threat from Moscow, 45,000 reservists undergo annual training, practicing urban combat, learning to operate drones, and providing medical aid on the battlefield. Voluntary courses on first aid and weapons handling have been developed for civilians. Thousands of Finns also participate in civil defense drills that simulate responses to cyberattacks, power outages, and the threat of missile strikes.

With a population of 5.6 million, Finland’s military can reach a strength of 280,000 service members in wartime.

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