Putin's bluff: No real threat to Finland despite NATO move

Vladimir Putin recently warned the Finns that he intends to send troops and "destruction systems" to the border. According to Politico, Helsinki has nothing to worry about. "The Russians lack both special training and equipment," evaluates Pekka Toveri, a parliamentarian and former head of Finnish military intelligence.

In a recent interview for pro-Kremlin media Rossija1 and RIA Novosti, Vladimir Putin openly criticized Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO. He stated that it was a senseless step on their part, and although previously relations with the Nordic countries were stable and good—with Finland even being "ideal"—now, they will change. The dictator announced the deployment of troops and "destruction systems" to the Finnish-Russian border.

Politico's latest editorial contrasts Putin's threats with the Kremlin's capabilities. It explicitly states that just announcing revenge for Helsinki's accession to NATO is not enough to intimidate the Scandinavian country - Russia does not have enough soldiers to pose any threat to its neighbour or "cover" approximately 1,300 kilometres of border.

Pekka Toveri, a parliamentarian and former head of Finnish military intelligence, believes that before 2030, the Russians will not have the capability to send as many soldiers to the border with Finland as they threaten; funds for infrastructure development and production of new, heavy weapons are lacking.

"Finland is a very demanding operational environment, as the Soviets discovered during World War II. They called it 'operations in swampy forest terrain,' which require special training and equipment that the Russians do not have. Most of the border area of Finland is a complete wilderness, unfit for modern mechanized warfare," assessed Toveri.

Putin withdrew the troops stationed near the Finnish-Russian border and moved them to Ukraine—officially, as a sign of "friendship" with Finland. Politico said the reason was the harsh conditions there, which the Russians could not cope with.

Source: Politico, WP News