Since yesterday, Finland has officially become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and this is the last episode in the framework of NATO's expansion towards the east, that is, towards the Russian borders. Over the past months, Western propaganda has demonized Russian President Vladimir Putin as the bogeyman of Eastern Europe who will overthrow these countries, but in reality everything Putin has done is a reaction to what NATO, or rather Washington, has done. When the Soviet Union disintegrated in the early nineties of the last century, Washington pledged to the late Russian President Boris Yeltsin that it would not expand to the east and that the NATO forces would not pose a threat to Russian security. However, all these promises went unheeded, and the twentieth century did not end until Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic joined NATO amid Russian refusal, and since then the countries of the old eastern continent began to enter the Atlantic club successively, despite previous American promises and Russian objections.
The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergey Lavrov, was right when he underestimated the importance of Finland joining NATO. With the accession of Helsinki, the common border between NATO and Russia increased from 700 km to 1900 km, so that this will force Moscow to increase its defense force to protect this long border and spread more The forces in the northwest region, which means more burdens on the Russian forces in light of a war of attrition in Ukraine that everyone expects will continue for a long time. Indeed, the historical capital of Russia, St. Petersburg, is only tens of kilometers away from NATO territory. This city does not have historical and symbolic significance, but it represents the headquarters of the Russian fleet, in addition to the enclave of Kalingrad, and the connection of the naval forces in both locations must pass from the Baltic Sea, which has practically turned into an Atlantic lake with the exception of Sweden, where Stockholm is expected to join soon after it is completed. Understanding between Washington and Ankara. Another aspect that seems surprising to many is the military power of Finland, which is considered a small country compared to other European countries, but nevertheless it has an army of 12,000 regular recruits, but it has the largest reserve army in the European continent, amounting to 900,000 soldiers. Helsinki also possesses an advanced military system, as it recently purchased – for example but not limited to – 60 advanced F-35 aircraft, and has the largest artillery weapon on the continent, and therefore this makes Finland a spearhead in any confrontation with the Russian side that can stop the Russian forces in any way. A Russian military attack on European countries. Indeed, the Russians had a bitter experience with the Finnish forces in the Winter War of 1939, in which the Soviets lost tens of thousands of dead and the war ended with an agreement that was the best according to the balance of power between the two parties, but at that time Finland was fighting alone, How about today, with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on its side?
Lavrov's statements can be understood because Moscow does not want to open another front in light of the Ukrainian war, but the West's bet on Moscow's patience may be misplaced, because Russia is the only party in the world that can destroy the temple for everyone, and as for the promises of the West, everyone has become He realizes that it is worth nothing in terms of security, defense and strategy.
Rami al-Khalifa al-Ali
