Finland says it has been preparing for decades to counter Russian’s invasion

Finland has been preparing to counter Russia’s attack for decades and would put up exceptionally stubborn resistance in the event of an attack, Timo Kivinen, commander-in-chief of the Finnish Defense Forces, said in a recent interview.

Finland has built up a large arsenal. Kivien also noted that, in addition to military equipment, the Finns had a high fighting spirit to face foreign invasions. Kivien stressed that “the most important line of defense is the human mind, as the current war in Ukraine has proved.”

Finland fought two wars with the then Soviet Union in the 1940s, and Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer border with this eastern neighbor. Finland, once a non-aligned country, is now applying to join NATO out of fear that Russia might invade Finland as it did to Ukraine on Febuary 24. Since World War II, Helsinki has maintained a high level of military readiness.

Finland, a country of 5.5 million people, had about 280,000 troops during the war, and there were 870,000 reserved trained soldiers. The country does not abolish the draft policy for men, as many other Western countries did after the end of the Cold War. The Finnish army has also built up one of the most powerful artillery units in Europe, stockpiling cruise missiles with a range of up to 370 kilometers. The country spends 2% of its GDP on defense, a level higher than many NATO countries.

Finland has ordered four new warships and bought 64 F-35 fighter jets produced by U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin. The Finnish military plans to order up to 2,000 drones to strengthen its own aerial defense system, while creating many different types of barriers along the border with Russia.

It is said that in a poll conducted by the Finnish Ministry of Defense on May 18, about 82 percent of respondents said they would be willing to participate in defense if the country is attacked.