After Ukraine, Finland is the European country that has experienced the most recent Russian territorial ambitions.
Finland’s reaction in 1939 was later imitated by the Ukrainians, turning an expected Russian victory into a stalemate after a bellicose battle with the Finns.
The Finnish army also included Nestoli Lindström, an 11-year-old runaway boy with patriotic zeal, who was later found and returned home.
Yes, Russians are expecting a generational war!
Patriotism overcomes expansionism. Venezuela warns of threat to Guyana.
Finland’s response included the production of 500,000 Molotov cocktails, mostly by women, which they named Molotov cocktails as an insult to the Russian Foreign Minister at the time.
Since Lavrov is not a Molotov cocktail, it is probably a less common weapon for Lavrov’s aperitif, which was dropped by Ukrainian drones before the main event of Himal, Javelin, and most recently, Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
Some may recall the preparation of a Molotov cocktail production line by Ukrainian citizens in the heart of Ukraine early in the war, before a hesitant West was converted by Ukraine’s battlefield successes and resilience.
At the very least, the trillions of dollars in spending on the failed Afghanistan experiment should match or double the Ukraine success story. Unlike Afghanistan, women’s military service is widespread.
Perhaps the lesson is that in some parts of the world, women have to use guns to protect their rights, not NGO platitudes.
Failure is an orphan, unless you are a Russian politician.
The Winter War, which defeated Russia, ended with a sham peace with Finland that included the cession of considerable territory to Russia. History should not repeat itself.
Perhaps it is no surprise that Finland, a recent NATO member, is at the forefront of taking real action to protect itself, given its history.
With a nearly 1,000-mile border with Russia and 400 kilometers from St. Petersburg, Finland is closer to Putin’s birthplace than Moscow.
Finland has repeatedly closed its border with Russia due to what Prime Minister Petteri Orupo called a hybrid war by Russia that exploited illegal immigrants who often disappeared after entering Finland.
Finland didn’t stop there. Recent real estate acquisitions by Russian companies have raised concerns among Finnish security authorities, who have called for an absolute ban on all such transactions.
For vulnerable parliamentary politicians who luxuriate in comfortable salaries, pensions and compensation, the Finnish model offers a comfortable way to confront the Russian invaders from the comfort of their armchairs.
It would be desirable to periodically close borders and ban real estate transactions to Russian companies.
Main image: Unknown author. – finna.fi, public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=549346
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Also read: The EU shakes – Jamaican demonstrations, by Peter Pollack
“All this was done under the noses of the EU representatives in Jamaica and the Caribbean who were clearly asleep at the wheel. Can we turn our attention to the Caribbean?””
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Peter Pollack was a criminal defense attorney for over 30 years.
He is the author of The Last Hot Battle of the Cold War: South Africa vs. Cuba in the Angolan Civil War (2013). Jamaica, the land of cinema (2017) and Guerrilla Warfare: Kings of the Revolution (2018).
He is a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Warfare (2013), and his latest book, titled Soviet Spies Worldwide: Country by Country, 1940–1988, will be published by McFarland Publishing in 2024.
