Finlandâs 80 Year Plan to Stop the Russians
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 16. 04. 2023
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Recently, Finland finally joined NATO after a long accession process, ensuring greater security from its new allies. But even without NATO, they were well placed to defend themselves and, given their preparedness, might be considered impossible to invade.
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1 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_d...
2 - www.newsweek.com/what-would-h...
3 - www.theatlantic.com/ideas/arc...
4 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War
5 - www.lemonde.fr/en/internation...
6 - www.theguardian.com/world/202...
7 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscri...
8 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militar...
9 - www.globalfirepower.com/navy-...
10 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland...
11 - www.ft.com/content/c5e376f9-7...
12 - helsinkisecurityforum.fi/news...
13 - workmall.com/wfb2001/finland/...
One key thing about the military you missed: Finland has *the largest* artillery capacity in western europe
phahahaha!!!! Sure, ALL are scared of that incredible artillery capacity... How many nukes? None? Well, few Russian nukes are equal to that incredible artillery.
@@ozymandiasultor9480 wow, so mature. Field artillery is the key in defending a ground invasion
â@@ozymandiasultor9480 how has that worked out for you in Ukraine?
@@ozymandiasultor9480 Russia has nukes, sure, but everyone and their donkey knows that the moment they use them it's goodnight Vienna for everyone, so, what use are they, really?
@@Defiant1940 They stop anyone else with nukes using them on russia....thats what use they are.
Furthermore, Finns have the highest willingness to defend percentage in Europe: According to a survey made by the Broadcast Company Yle in 2022, 86% of Finns would be willing to take up arms against a superior enemy. So, not only do Finns have massive amounts of reserve manpower, those men and women are very highly motivated fighters.
Finland know from experience that they can go toe to toe with a superior foe and fuck them up. Russia has been scared of them since.
@Zaydan Alfariz Yleisradio Oy (abbr. Yle [Ëyle], literally "Common/Public Radio/Broadcast"; Swedish: Rundradion Ab), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926.
Suomi Perkele!
Of course, things may be slightly different once the situation became real, but I think Finns resistance mentality would be on par with Ukrainians.
i wouldn't call the ruzzians "superior" in this case XD
You forgot the 4th but #1 reason Finland is un-invadable; Russia can't properly invade a country where small, shallow rivers are a topographical defensive feature. đ
Russia did it in WW2
@@HaydenLau. cope harder
@@AL-lh2ht
What?
@@AL-lh2ht how is it cope itâs fucking historical fact were you not taught the winter war or something
@@HaydenLau. yeah but it was very very painful
Only countries living next to Russia can truly understand the danger it poses and will continue to pose.
Russia is not a danger to any country that is neighboring Russia. Finland is in no danger, they simply have a terrible phobia that the USA used to push them into NATO. That war in Ukraine is a defensive war, it was imposed on Russia. Russia has no need to attack and occupy any country, it has enormous territory and no need for problems that come with occupying any country.
â@@ozymandiasultor9480 đ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł Putler's propaganda really got to you huh?
@@ozymandiasultor9480
Totally innocent ,peaceful and manly country who in no way break countless agreements and invades all of its neighbor.
SURE RUZZY BOT
Tell that to people living in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and even Belarus. Many of the people in those countries live in fear due to Russia. So donât post Kremlin propaganda saying they donât.
@@ozymandiasultor9480 How many rubles u get per comment? xD
Welcome to Finland, where being a prepper is culturally acceptable! đ«đź đȘ
nice one, but even in the UK the idiots who laughed before the plandemic are not laughing now
Prepping is smart and common sense.
@@t-pnaminami3808 how many jars of pickles are in your cupboard? đ€
Also welcome to Finland, where the people take pride in having given the Soviet Union the hardest time with singing molotovs, in-field weapon procurement and one noscope-sniping farmer. đ
@@cameron6770 It's actually very common practice to store jam, pickles and other food for long periods of time in cellars in Finland and other Northern countries. Tons of houses have underground cellars just for this purpose. Our house has one as well and we are planning to use it as storage for pickles.
As a Pole I hope, we'll follow Finland's steps. Sure, huge land army is a must, but a functioning, reliable war-time civilian logistics is just as important.
Biggest issue with our failed defence in 1939 was poor communication. Army relied mostly on plane and horseback couriers back then. But in the very first 3 days Luftwaffe achived total air superiority, shot down any couriers, and destroyed ALL radio stations in the country. Meaning Polish units fought their own little separete wars, rather than a single united one. Many people think we could've won, if it wasn't for the Soviet attack, but that's a dream. We were screwed from day 3, because we neglected something that's not directly battle-related.
Not much difference from our Red Army in 1941 since we relied too much on wired communications which in a normal warfare get cut pretty soon. A lot of different cannon and rifle calibers, at least six different brands of fuel for tanks, trucks and armored cars.
I don't want to come accross as obnoxious; communication is indeed very important. But I don't think that was your biggest problem. Your biggest problem was two more than capable advesaries, one smaller but heavily industrialized and powerful on one side, and a weaker yet ludicrously large with a lot of manpower on the other,. Both authoritarian and on the war path. Your second biggest problem was no allies either willing or able to defend you immediately. Any country would have lost to that eventually, it was just a question of when. In personal terms, this is kind of like a person standing next to a nuke going off.
â@Mars that's the hope
Says a lot about the USSR that they teamed up with Nazi Germany to invade Poland together. The best of friends!
â@@andrehaugvaldstad certainly, they had no chance against Germany AND the Soviet Union.
oh hell yes, I love Finland and their mentality. I would totally fight fot their freedom if needed, love from Hungary
Finland has actually developed the geography to its advantage, for example how main roads and rail lines around the savonlinna region in the southeast primarily run laterally - parallel to the border. This allows Finns to move within the country very easily, while Russia has the hard task of crossing areas with few or smaller roads to reach these highways. The bunkers in smaller properties are relatively cheap to build because of how common they are, and also serve as cellars, pantries, and storehouses, so are valued even in peacetime
The roads also have points where the rock-faces on one or both sides of the road can be easily collapsed, and points that can be converted to decentralized air-strips. Also the area right next to the border is full of lakes which means easy to defend choke-points.
Finnish people are hardcore and that's why we love them. They're just immensely competent and practical.
Luckily our most powerfull rockets do not need railroads to get to the point :)
@@user-ud1mk7xv7g too late. if russia is still considering attacking Finland ever again, would suggest evacuating st petersburg behind urals. Not only finland has the most advanced airplanes in the world, since april if russia makes a foolish move with nuclear weapons, russia will get nuked back. russia is currently and for a foreseeable futire checkmated for land invasions in north europe and Baltics.
@@user-ud1mk7xv7g Lol cry loser
As a Lithuanian I'm so envy to Finland: such a beautiful, big, developed country, who's prepared for the worst. Us, meanwhile, whine a lot and coming to political decisions are stagnating every moment. We are small, still developing with small population, one aircraft, five ships, zero tanks and seven helicopters... We are lucky to be in NATO, though.
You're still better prepared than the UK.
Finland is not only prepared for war but also has a strong economy and the happiest people in the world. For all the politicians telling us that it is either one or the other, go to Finland, and learn from the best.
@@merseyviking U.K.âs got the second strongest military in Europe
@@aleksandrastvardauskas7288 Sure, go to that frozen part of the world to see how happy they are...with a constant phobia that Russia will attack.
@@joshbentley2307 But no conscription (not necessarily a bad thing), and certainly no will to fight.
I live near Helsinki. I have been told that many main bridges have marked locations for explosives to be placed. They are designed to fall in segments so reconstruction after a war is easier.
There is still bullet holes left from soviet planes shooting at Hakaniemi-bridge.
Basically every bridge has these hollow spaces that fit AT mines or 20kg TNT blocks. You can see them well for instance if you ski on the ice under smaller bridges during winter time
@@jussimakarussi Thanks Jussi for the extra info, I shall take a look next time I am under one.
I remenber my old school (vallilan ala-aste) still had various holes from shelling and maybe even bullet holes. The building is older than finlands independace, so no wonder it has such scars from not only the second world war, but also the civil war.
@@Helvetinpartatera The Hakaniemi bridge was built in the 60s. I think you mean PitkÀsilta, and those marks are from the civil war.
So beautiful to see wisdom and good planning! So f**king marvelous!! Well done Finland! đđœđđœđ«đźđžđȘđ”đ±đșđŠđčđŒ
And this video only scratches the surface.
Not mentioned are also:
* Almost all near-border roads goes North-South, making movement in Eastern direction troublesome.
* Finnish forests are filled with large boulders. Very effective at stopping tanks.
* Troops are trained in their home area, where they know every hole, stone and cover, making guerilla warfare very effective.
* A lot of roads through the forest have peculiar straight strips. They are placed all over the country and in each end there is an area where planes can turn. That way Finland can constantly move their fighter jets and keep them spread out, hidden under the tree line, ready for surprise attacks on the enemy.
Now I understand where the tax money goes. Sick people just thinking about war. No one gives a shit to Finland is not even a country. It's a mix of Russian and Swedish. Because of this shit useless country now the war will be escalated. Finland could not be quiet they have this need to show off. Small country complex. Everybody wishing going back to normal life and counting the days to finish the war and this useless country wants more war. I hope when It start you are the first ones to disappear. All these sick countries that like war should disappear.
I like Finns, they're honourable and honest folks. They are not hypocritical and they'll tell you if they don't like you. Best people I've dealt with. This is coming from đžđŽ person.
Only a nation that has once been invaded would be so determined to make sure that it never happens again. It doesn't matter if the currently living didn't go through it. The collective memory would last through generations.
Uh, no, not quite, else the entirety of France would be borderline fail-deadly at every single layer imaginable.
No, it's the fact a very real potential invader, and an anti-democratic one with nuclear capabilities at that, has been at Finland's literal doorstep for almost 100 years now.
Sure. Finland wanted to retrieve territories making an aliance with Hitler. They thought it was a brilliant idea. However, the Soviets proved to them, that neutral Finland could achieve much more than being aligned with Soviets' enemies. Now collective memory failed.
@@ilyaorlovskiy I wouldn't word it like you do. Once the objective of getting back into their own territory was done they turned coat and refused to obey Hitler's orders.
They didn't push further into the territory that was actually considered Soviet. As a result the Germans destroyed many areas in the Northern parts as a retaliation.
What would you do in a situation where your smaller country was invaded by a dictator with no unclear intentions but the only option for help was another dictator?
I wouldn't say a "brilliant idea" is the right expression there. It's the very definition of grey morality; survival was essential and needed unconventional methods. Vast majority of Finns aren't proud of it.
But I guess the Putin approved history books fail to mention such details, or even try to properly set themselves in the shoes of their neighboring countries.
@@Ama-Elaini
I mean, even bigger countries like the UK and USA allied with communism in order to take down the fascist Axis powers, so it wasn't much better for them.
@@Ama-Elaini I mentioned Hitler not to accuse Finland, I meant something different. Finland was quite a successful state being neutral, Soviets and Russia never had intetions to invade Finland since WW2 . By joining NATO, you will just spend much more money for less security. You will be obliged to be aligned with your allies and I really doubt it is a good company. They can involve Finland in some actions you would prefer not to step in.
You said German destroyed some areas in Northern parts? I would remind you of NordStream (half of it belonged to Germany). Now you have the ally who can really convince his allies in deed to be good pets. My congratulations.
As was mentioned at the end, Finnish Infrastructure is also designed around military application. Motorways are periodically dug into bedrock, so they can be easily blocked by detonating the cliffside. Bridges are rigged to be quickly demolished with any reasonable explosive, e.g. AT-mines. Most finnish highways can also be used as road-bases for the air force.
Good thing it's just well-established locations on the bridges to place explosives in and not actual pre-rigged ones, as the latter would be incredibly dangerous for the average citizen.
â@@Brown95P more like designed for it, just like the Swiss.
â@@Brown95P There's just specific places for them, not actual explosives. Only ruzzians would be so stupid to leave charges in place.
@@Vapourized90 swiss secretly left the explosives under the site where they told germans to build their highways
â@@Brown95P there are only hooks and information about how much explosives you need to take the bridge down.
I am Chechen and I support Finland, we know what Russia did to us and you.
Grozny got what it deserved. What do you expect when you kill hundreds of innocent people because you can not create your own Islamic state.
I hear you brother.
Your Chechnyan leader is a psychopat and a slavic Russian not Chechnyan at all. One day Chechnya gains independence but not as long as the country is run by Putin and Kadirov or whatever the psycho's name is....
â@Fletcher No.
@Fletcher putin is that you
The reason why finland doesn't rank particularily high on a firepower list is that the finnish armed forces are purely designed for defence. A fact that doesn't translate well on a general strenght comparison.
Finnish NATO membership was a great message to give to the Russian people. It highlights Putin's strategic failures.
You sound like a typical Washington analyst, pompous, but nothing more. It will be the Finns who will deal with the consequences of this "message". An increase in the defense budget that will hit pockets of common folks. And Russia does not need to invade Finland in order to destroy it, Russia and the USSR were satisfied with the neutral status of Finland since the Cold War, and now it is an enemy country, which means that all cities in Finland are now legitimate targets for missile strikes. Do you think Russia will linger with Finland when the world gets hot, and try to make their way through the forests and swamps on tanks? No, they will just nuke'em.
Have you ever seen Russian people?
@@poshemuuu the last russian i met called putin a c*nt and Russia a corrupt hellhole.
But that was way before the war.
How so? Especially when you consider that Russia was NO THREAT to Finland.
@@bryanbelshaw7725 They also said that Russia was no threat to Ukraine. Russia cannot be trusted.
As Polish I am happy that Fins have joined us. Its advanced country with good army, we need allies like that. Hope that Sweden will join soon and TUR/HUN will drop their veto.
As a Polish you suffer from the same phobia and hatred, no wonder...
@@ozymandiasultor9480 phobia and hatred? Of what? and as a native English speaker, it's "as a Pole".
@@ozymandiasultor9480 Iâm sorry but do you live in a parallel universe, or do you live under a rock? Russia has time and a time proven that itâs a very dangerous neighbor who invades you and murder your citizens, military and civilian, women, children and elders. For over a year they have tried to overthrow a legitimate government in Ukraine by invading and running a full scale war. They have terror-bombed civilian targets as hospitals, malls, schools and power plants. They have executed captured soldiers and civilians in most brutal ways, the list of war crimes is piling up and you have to stomach to call it phobia and hatred when people are concerned that they might be next?
You sir, is a looney and a hypocrite!
@@ozymandiasultor9480 its not a phobia (irrational fear). Russia teamed up with Hitler to invade Poland ffs. And they never apologized like the germans. Ruskies only understand one language.
,,Phobiaâ would imply that we are scared lol
You guys forgot to mention the Finnish artillery power.
ranging from BT 42 to big gun
Peace through superior firepower.
Yea I was awaiting that in the video too
As a swede i love finland. A great wall of extremely quiet but deadly men. You should all try and sauna with a old school Finn. No joke 90% would probably think you where about to die. They have powerful words like perkele and sisu that can not be translated to English 100% just like we in Sweden have but ours "Lagom" is extremely lame.
As a Finn, I tolerate Sweden. A great neighbor and a capable opponent in ice hockey.
A major way in which geography works in our favour (yes, I'm a Finn) is that when the ice sheet retreated at the end of the Ice Age, it carved out depressions that mostly became lakes. If you look at the map, you will clearly see that the majority of these run in a SW-NE orientation. Partly because of this and partly because of underlying defence strategy, transport links (road and rail) are much better in the N-S direction than in the W-E direction.
On the other hand, there's a plain below SalpausselkÀ. Meaning the only "proper" attack direction is towards Helsinki, the region with the highest population density.
â@@XGD5layer On the other other hand, attack from that plain happened already and we have prepared defence there for the last 80 years :) We managed to stop the USSR far far away from Helsinki in the 40's when our army was far less equipped.
Finnish independence and freedom are non negotiable
Only Finns can risk their freedom. Russia has nothing to do with it.
â@@robertmyers6488 ĐŃĐžĐČĐ”Ń ĐŒĐŸĐč ĐŽŃŃĐł đ«đźđșđŠ
@@upnorth2421 What is FIUA?
@@robertmyers6488 Haha, FIUA you!
You could've gone WAY deeper into the nature aspect.
You didn't bring up things like:
- Amount of lakes
- Marshes and swamps
- Massive boulders from the receding ice sheet from the ice age
- Relatively puny amount of roads capable of supporting heavy traffic
- Massive strategic cliffs that can be blown up to block these few roads capable of supporting heavy traffic
- Propably more that is slipping my mind right now
cause that's irrelevant when you get bombarded
The war has proven one thing about terrain, if you want a natural terrain fortress in our era, make a wide open field with no covers. Drone cams and artillery will do the rest.
@@belldrop7365 for a Russian invading force, the vast forests, marshes and waterways of Finland would prove to be very difficult obstacles to overcome, as they are unfit for executing their army doctrines based around fighting on the wide open plains of Europe. Nothern Ukraine has similar terrain but less dense, and the Russian offensive had the most difficulties in that direction of all the vectors of attack.
Open terrain is dangerous to attack through, but it is also difficult to defend due to lack of cover and terrain features to leverage.
@@belldrop7365 That's more due to how muddy Ukraine is.
Finland doesn't have the manpower to guard the entire front if it were deforested. Sure, the swamps would still be unpassable for armor, but that would still leave massive gaps.
@@kingnothing007 Also a natural aspect forgotten: a large amount of land especially in southern, northern and eastern Finland has solid bedrock very close to the surface. Helps quite a lot if you are planning to make bunkers to avoid Bombardment.
Finland has adopted a total defense strategy, meaning that the entire *society* can immediately be turned into a war economy in case of invasion. The best part is that since Russians are well aware of this, it will probably never have to be implemented. Although quite expensive, all this is worth the cost, considering the neighborhood you live in.
yeah, sure...All 5 million will turn into Finnish Rambo's, and in the meantime Russia if needed can raise 5 million proper army and pulverise those.
Our brothers and sisters in Finland. †/Sweden
Jag hoppas att vi snart fÄr se Sverige gÄ med i NATO. HÀlsningar frÄn Finland!
Jag har Kpist /45 hemma.. en Swensk var jag ocksĂ„ till 1809đąđâ€
Donât mess with Finland !
I never realized that bunkers is a unique thing to Finland. I just assumed that there are always bunkers in cities and bigger villages
There are but very few. Lots of cities are in river deltas, on flatlands. Muddy, post-glacial terrain and so on. 30 meters to get to bedrock and millions of tons of concrete. Very expensive, not practical to do with people already living in that area. Meanwhile Swiss, Fins, Norway etc. can just blast tunnels into nearby cliff or directly underground
You forgot the most important advantage which is the quality of the people.
Finland lives on Russia's doorstep and knows that Russia won't stop trying to reclaim territory it held at one point while the current regime is still in power. Finland has every right to be worried and be prepared.
Editing for clarity: I support Finland here and Russia's a great bully.
it's not Russia's territory but yeah
Moscow's betrayal is always just a matter of time. We have seen this for a thousand years and will see it for another thousand years.
@@kingnothing007 Finland used to be autonomous Grand duchy of Finland under the rule of the tsar. And there were more than one tsar. I think it's Nikolai II whose statue is still situated in Helsinki as a middle finger to everyone who came after. The earliest war that I can recall off the bat was in 1042, which is only about 200 years after Kievan rus was established.
Finns have always been finns and not Swedes or Russian. There is no "old Russian territory" here - never has been.
@@kingnothing007 I did not intend my post as a slight against Fins. I was referring to the previous Winter War in the 1930s and the war establishing Finland's existence after the Revolution. I am unfamiliar with Finnish history prior.
Because the average Finnish citizen is probably more well trained and equipped than Putins regular army.
The teenagers at my local paintball course are better trained than Putin's regular army.
Keep believing in that... Russia now has a battle hardened army that can pulverize them, but they have absolutely no interest in attacking Finland.
@@operatchick6486 The teenagers in your local paintball will piss and shit their pants if thrown into a real war.
@@ozymandiasultor9480 both of the survivors of the soviet meatgrinder tactics I guess? Bet they are well armed after the looting and such, tractor brigade. Orcs
@@ozymandiasultor9480 Most of war criminal Putin's 'battle-hardened' troops are already dead, the rest are untrained conscripts with woefully poor leadership and outdated tactics.
Finland. Like Vietnam, but colder.
The primary job of the Finnish Defence Forces, prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was to maintain a competent and effective military force, to serve as a deterrence against a possible invasion (among other typical military functions etc.). Meaning the aim was to make an attack against Finland too expensive for the Russians.
But Russia's invasion of Ukraine proved that Russia is indeed, at least in theory, willing to undergo such expense and even willing to maintain a large scale offesive action.
This meant that joining NATO was required in order for Finland to maintain that deterrence.
Since the early 2000's the Finnish Defence Forces had been slowly turning itself compatible with NATO and by 2020's it was pretty much fully compatible and there was alot of co-operation with NATO and NATO members. For the FDF, Russian military agression towards a near-peer / European nation and Finland joining NATO was was bound to happen eventually.
I'm really glad we're in NATO and I hope that'll open some new avenues for reservists too.
The attack will come from the east, unless they flank through Norway and Sweden.
Finns, we Poles understand and share solidarity with you. We know Russian terrorism like and we are hoping to see Finland strengthen together with NATO. đ”đ±đ€đ»đ«đź
The peace treaty after the Winter War was obviously signed when the war ended, which was in 1940, not in 1939, when it started.
And somehow this video fails to mention the Continuation War (1941-44) which ended with further territorial losses to the Soviet Union and the forced neutrality status that made Finland walk the tightrope of being a market oriented democracy but not really allowed to ally with other like-minded countries.
You mean when Finland teamed up with the Nazis?
"this video fails to mention the Continuation War (1941-44) which ended with further territorial losses to the Soviet Union"
But the territorial losses were far less severe than the losses after the Winter War. After the Winter War, Finland lost some quite valuable land containing almost 1/8th of the population including the then second biggest city. After the Continuation War, Finland only lost some sparsely populated territory in the north.
@@seneca983 Sparsely populated but very rich in minerals. Very valuable indeed.
Yet the Soviet Union took almost a million additional casualties against Finland in the Continuation War and failed for a second time to reach Helsinki and annex Finland.
At that time, beating the soviets, was not trending :(
It's not just that almost the entire country is forest, it's also that about half of it is wet, swampy forest, which is even harder to traverse for an invader. That's typical for the taiga: Snow doesn't evaporate during the winter months, but melts into water all the same when spring comes. Thus, there is less evaporation of water, leaving much forestland swampy unless actively drained for economical purposes.
snow can evaporate even in winter? and in Finland? where its super cold?
i don't live in a place with snow so I've never heard about this
@@Zack-fu4lo some winters are very cold, some summers hover around 0 celsius so at one point there is snow, after a day or two there is no snow. and that cycles about every other year
@@Zack-fu4lo What you're not realizing is that freezing cold air is actually very dry, so evaporation is constantly happening when it's cold. That's why things stored (inappropriately) in the freezer for too long get freezer "burnt", which is actually the surface of the item drying out.
Ozymandias here smoking the good stuff
A journalist asked a question: "Is it a tragedy that Finland has over 1300 kilometer long border with Russia?" Finnish politician answered: "It would be a real tragedy, if we didn't have that border".
I dislike cursing but: Bad Ass.
Nice answer
Their is no country equipped to defend as well as Finland. Incredible military for their size and every member of the population is trained.
Really? Who have they fought against to make such a statement?
You're greatly overestimating Finland's military strength. Even the current Russian army, while corrupt as shit and with incompetent high command, logistics problems etc. would have steamrolled Finland, just like a puppy would tear up a heating pad. The war on Ukraine has already taken over one million lives, and the whole world has to support Ukraine just to go by because of insane equipment, ammo and shells consumption, and you think Finland would be better than Ukraine?
@@marluxia8832 In ww2 soviets dint get helsinki, against farmers and their hunter gear, home made stuff, very little air force and few tanks against soviets. Now imagine one of the best trained soldiers in the world with modern army all around. There is the difference fighting with old ww2 stuff mostly than modern weapons, still putin is fighting in ukraine, how its possible for number "2" army in the world. But igor, its okay to suck putins D and hes mighty military.
@@marluxia8832 Here's your 15 kopecks vasily, don't spend it all on vodka... again....
@@marluxia8832 Exactly what should've happened in the Winter war if we just looked at the numbers. Reality isn't so simple
As friendly as Fins are, I have no doubt they would feel nothing when killing invading enemy soldiers
One thing to note that the Finnish antipathy and wariness towards Russia didn't start with the Winter War. Russia has been the hereditary enemy from at least 18th century if not earlier. Look up "The Great Wrath". We were often Sweden's front line in its many wars against Russia even if the focus of the war was sometimes elsewhere. Being an autonous grand duchy under Russia for 100 years didn't change this attitude.
We have had wars with russia for a thousand years. And as Eino Leino wrote, and a thousand years to come.
When you live next to a bi-polar nation like Russia, you gotta be prepared for the worst case scenario. And Finland took that task seriously!
finland is in the ranks of the top univadable countries along with switzerland and ethiopia. natural geography is a lifesaver
Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark all have a joint air wing program. 200 5th gen, and 4th gen fighters maybe 4.5 gen not sure on what the Swedish jet is classified as. The Scandinavian airforces are well armed and trained with quality aircraft would be impossible to invade without control of the air. The terrain is difficult enough imagine getting constantly bombed.
Viet-Czech here. In Vietnam, Finland has been seen for a long time as a model of development, and this is no joke here. Even the VCP dictatorship loves to copy from Finnish neutrality to the point that they invented the "Four Nos" modelled after their idols Juho Paasikivi and Urho Kekkonen. Unfortunately, the VCP dictatorship is small-minded and very fearful of losing power so they could not even prepare for people in case of a growing threat from China, which is looming due to Chinese aggression. On my Czech side, I am happy that Finnish people prepared for the future, they know how cruel Russia is, and they are ready against them.
@Zaydan Alfariz Female does hold power in VCP, but the highest is just the speaker of the VCP-controlled parliament.
â@Zaydan Alfariz Having a woman in charge doesn't magically make things better, doesn't even mean anything will be done differently. Think Maggie Thatcher
I did not know this. That's pretty cool. Greetings from Finland.
@@voodoodolllIt is an indication of equality which would be cool. But you are correct.
@@diomuda7903 are you a citizen in vietnam? And a second question of curiosity what do Vietnamese think about communism? Does it still hold popularity
Bunkers actually doesnt have food storage. Only water and air.
This really surprised me. Good on you FINLAND!
Somehow the prospect that Finland could survive longer than anyone else in case of a nuclear war makes me feel happy. (not that i don't want anyone to survive, but the notion that they are hugely prepared whether for practical or paranoid reasons.. its just great)
Go Finland! :)
We Finns are generally peaceful and laid back people. There's only one way to make this nation resort to violence: try to take what our forefathers bought with their own blood. Force our hand and prepare to lose your own.
at least you guys have lots of bunkers and test air raid sirens periodically... cause Russia likes to bombard...
Good thing our government can take everything from us -- including the independence. Want to take Finland? Become our government.
blah blah blah...... Russia doesn't give a fuc about Finland. Until you start putting missiles that threaten them. I think Finland should be more worried about where NATO/USA is leading them. More like Finland forcing Russia hand.
@@kingnothing007 Our air defenses have all the means to counter Russian aircraft. We even have the systems to counter ballistic weapons now. And yes I served in AA in the FDF.
@@Perkelenaattori brotha you guys better ramp up the anti air defense just in case cause the missile barrage can be ramped up if full scale war breaks out. All the talk about depleting stockpiles also applies to "The West". There will be no winners in this conflict except for Lockheed Martin and other missile producers...
You forgot one very important ingredient, the Finns. And it is not just against the Russians (it mainly is). Here is another example: "Battle at Herdaler" and there are many.
It's the sisu in the blood; the sheer ability to give anyone and anything the perkele if they ever looked at them wrong. đ
â@@Brown95P Perkele is the name of the ancient pagan God of Finns... Who is apparently still there, protecting his people who often call his name! đ
In capital Helsinki we have graves of german, french, swedish, british and of course russian seemen and soldiers. And in Kokkola they have a boat of flagship of british flotilla in their town house. My own known family ancester was bohemian mercenary who get a farm in HĂ€me district. Finns have fought agaist everybody who have attacked us. Swedes, danes, russians, germans,brits, french. The cost have been heavy but they are gone and we are still here.
Never pick a fight with the finnish because they will *finish* it!đ
@@JCDFlex We don't start fights, we Finnish them.
Countries tend to have plans for making sure the leaders and rich will survive the war while Finland literally have plan to save 80% of it's population and it is actually currently possible in perfect scenario, not just a plan.
I'm sorry to break it to you, but Finland wouldn't have stood a chance if Putinist Russia attacked it instead of Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting Russia with its army being over a million people and thousands of tanks, IFVs, artillery pieces and hundreds of planes, and yet it's still struggling despite our (Russian) high command being inept and corrupt and our army suffering from shortages of ammo, MREs and medicine, but you think you're somehow better than them?
@@marluxia8832 You can keep lying to yourself as much as you want. All Russia is doing in Ukraine atm is throwing good people into fire and forcing them to become terrorists. Russia has nothing anymore and I am seriously amazed that people of Russia has not yet said "no" to this war. I quess it's easy to breed people like you when controlling everything you can see and hear.
I used to be proud that my country was neutral and secure place for the west and east meeting each others. Russia even felt like ok place for a moment but now I can only feel pity and sadness towards you guys. It's suchs a shame for culturally so great and interesting place to fall like that. We were vodka brothers and sisters, both living in cold environment with similar views and dreams. However you succumbed to corruption and decided to fall while we rise from the ashes and have reached top spots in so so so many ladders. Again all I can feel is pity towards you.
I am not gonna argue with you either since I already know your point of view and that I cannot change it so I hope you will someday come back to your senses, bye.
@@marluxia8832 Most of the suffering inflicted in Ukraine is done to civilians.
But sure, keep believing that Russian victory is right around the corner.
Goebbels said the same in 1945...
@@marluxia8832 You completely ignore the siginificance of geography. And competence
@@marluxia8832 You keep underestimating all you wan't. It is an inevitability that they will try again. And then we shall see.
When russia attacked Ukraine, not only did they show how poor their military capability is, but also performed strategically and tactically pretty much as expected.
The main reason is: IT WOULD COST TOO MUCH!!!
In lives and money . Finlande is well defended , well trained and well equiped.
Well, it doesn't stops Putin from continuing this war, so Idk
Bullshit. Russia would have knocked out all of Finland's serious military equipment in the first one or two months of a hypothetic war, and then start a mop-up operation like in Chechnya or Syria. Guerilla warfare would be ineffective because Russian army specializes in dealing with this threat.
â@@marluxia8832 they don't seem to be able to do it in Ukraine... Not in 14 months.
â@@emiiliaolausson5559 Ukraine had 45 million population by the beginning of the war. Yours is 9 times less. Should I mention how many aviation, tanks and IFVs Ukraine had at the time and still has thanks to Western lend-lease?
â@@marluxia8832 no lol just no
What makes Finland so difficult to invade?
A huge, heavily forested, often snowed-in border, & an entire generation of snipers who grew up hearing the tales of Simo HÀyhÀ.
Awesome. Each country should be ran like this.
We always try to set a good example. You are encouraged to learn.
A lot of Finland is covered by forest. Difficult to move an army through forest...Secondly, I'm quite sure Sweden would step in to fight with Finland because in an invasion, Sweden would be Russia's next target located just beside Finland.
Russia would first have to beat Finland and the rest of NATO to get to Sweden
We are prepared here in Sweden too. We have 65000 bunkers that can house 7 million people.
Congratulations for being the first news channel to get the amount of reservists correct. đ
Allow me a little bit of a deeper dive into the Winter War, as it became known, see if you notice something familiar: Stalin was worried about Finland's proximity to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), an important naval base to the Soviet Union - keep in mind that Kaliningrad was still Germany at this point. So the Red Army invaded, expecting a quick victory, but the leadership - consisting mostly of yes men following the Great Purges - underestimated the Finnish will to resist. The Soviets were also hopelessly underprepared for a war in winter, they didn't have proper uniforms to deal with fighting in winter, they stuck out like a sore thumb in their brown uniforms against the white landscape. Their losgistics were pretty bad, and thousands of men died not from enemy fire, but from exposure and frostbite instead. The way they employed tanks was a tactical disaster, and lots of them got stuck in swamps and mud, leading to the Finnish inventing the Molotiv cocktail to burn them by the hundreds. When the guns finally stopped firing, the Red Army had lost over 300.000 men in a little over three months. People say that war never changes, I'm just going to assume this is what they mean.
The winter war is only one of the chapters of the 1900s, followed by the attempts to retake lost lands in the continuation war. Before these wars, there were the attempts at freeing parts of karelia in the 1920s as well as supporting estonian independence. It's a long history between these nations. It's insane to look at the casualty numbers for these wars, well over a million soviets and a couple hundred thousand finns. No wonder this era left scars and lasting memories.
The only thing that gave peace was Urho Kekkonen inviting Nikita Kruschev to discuss the future in the sauna. Sauna diplomacy lead to peace for 85 years and counting.
Yet the Russians still won that war but the Finns of course let the German war machine march through to Russia. Nice folk. đ
"leading to the Finnish inventing the Molotiv cocktail"
Finns didn't invent the Molotov cocktail. Those had been used against tanks in e.g. the Spanish Civil War which had ended only a few months earlier. Finns did come up with the name, though.
@@seneca983 and to further clarify, they got the name from our dark minds i guess. As far as I've read and heard, Molotov had said after the early war bombing of Helsinki that they were only dropping bread baskets to civilians in order to not look too murdery and war crimey. They came to be known as Molotov's bread baskets in our midst. We just gave him the cocktail to go with his bread...
â@@ArktinenPeikko fun fact. The first bomb's the soviets dropped on Helsinki hit their own embassy
"Forts, cannons and foreign aid will not help unless every man himself knows that he is the guard of his country." - The Honourable Marshal of Finland, Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
That's what I was taught in Finnish army: The most important quality in any military is that its soldiers have the will to fight. We see that now in Ukraine where Russia despite its material advantage gets its ass handed to it by Ukrainians who have the will to defend their country.
Finland lost 3 wars against USSR. Seems Finnish men are not the best guardians.
@@user-qp8js5ps5c Two mate. Also I dont see a russian flag hanging outside my house so I think the guardians did a pretty darn good job against a country 50 times larger.
one of my fraternity brothers is ex-Finnish marines. He's one of the most stoic guys I know. Universal military service is impossible in a place like the US, but I do think it helps the nation overall.
When i was young, 63 now, i always yearned for something like universal training as necessary for youth. Something that everybody could relate to. The discipline would b a great experience for many. Honestly i believe more in my own country, Canada, but i fear all of north america is just screwed by the ridiculous pockets of goofy fools that exist here, especially in America
16 seconds... New record for me. Love the content, I look forward to it every day.
Russia is having a seriously bad time with Ukraine. Invading Finland would be a true nightmare for them.
These bunkers have to be insanely huge, considering that fins like to stay miles away from other people!
We are the mole people đ
i have been living in Finland for 21 years now, we have been well prepared for a potential invasion from our lovely neighbour. It is why we are so happy.........
Another very important thing about Finland defence that I can't confirm, but I'm pretty sure is present - citizens consider their country and its people worth dying for.
You also need to remember that arguably the most important thing about conscription is that it has made it possible for us in Finland to have a very high level of will to defend our nation, newest surveys say that around 83% responded that they would defend our nation with firearms. Ukraine was divided in this regard, but it will probably never become a similar issue in Finland.
Finland is strongđ and now they have a huge backup
Game was already too easy
Many people in the countryside have a cellar that can double as a short-term bunker They are cool in the summer but the temperature rarely drops below zero in winter.
Normal in Russia.
When you have the worst neighbors in the world, you better have a big stick.
Meanwhile China: Hold my noodles..
Did you think so in 2020? Did you prime minister think so, when on meeting with Putin in 2020 they both agreed to start new trans-border electric train from Saint-Peterburg to Imatra, that would make travelling cheaper, faster, and more convenient for ordinary people? Or agreement on 5-year visa for all Russians, not only VIP travelers as it always had been? This agreement also was signed just before Covid. Do all this show you always had the worst neighbour?
@@poshemuuu A few years of cordial relations do not negate centuries of Russian aggression.
So true, the idiot neighbour. We have tried to understandand, waited for decades, no nothing
The numbers of the newly elected Parliament are not in yet, but a fun fact is that roughly 45% of the Parliament members in recent decades have had a military rank, ranging from a private to a major. For this reason at the top level people have at least some idea of the military issues when they make decisions concerning the security. Finland is not a country with an army, it is an army with a country.
He says 6 months of fuel stockpile, but the actual number is classified.
I think that's the minimum amount. Just like how we would never know the max for fighters...
As it should be.
I think that Finland is a really important international example. It's a shame that learning about the Finnish Winter War isn't required in US public schooling. It holds lessons that are valuable to this day and anyone with sufficient understanding of the nature and resolution of that conflict should have been able to predict that the war in Ukraine would result in the current stalemate we see today. The very nature of fielding large armies, mechanized infantry, and other large battlefield machinery means that a small and mobile force has the advantage against an under-supported mechanized unit, no matter how mobile it is or how well-designed the equipment is.
Part of it comes down to terrain, and anyone who has read The Art of War should know how important that is - even more important today, with many lessons going as far back as the introduction of chariots becoming ever-more relevant over time. But more than that, it's a matter of numbers. Even in nature, there are larger animals that keep tiny frogs and spiders almost like pets because, due to their large size, they're literally incapable of attacking of the dangerous creatures that could harm them. Likewise, due to their small size, the frog or spider is vulnerable without the protection of the larger animal...
I guess my point is this: Russia's biggest mistake is looking at various countries as vulnerable without considering how their allies might help plug gaps in their defense, and while Finland is already well-equipped to deal with Russia as things stand, their strategy isn't perfect and NATO membership will only serve to strengthen their position, even if their position is already advantageous.
Hear hear!
Finland's history with Russia goes back way beyond 1939. As part of the kingdom of Sweden, Finland was the front-line region against Russia and bore the brunt of numerous wars between the 14th century and 1809 and was completely occupied by Russia twice in the 18th century. In 1809, Sweden finally lost Finland to Russia for good, and Finland was part of the Russian empire until 1917. Paradoxically, it could be argued that that was the best century in Finnish history up until then, but that's beside the point. The point is that there is centuries of accumulated mistrust and outright hostility against Russia in Finland.
Nice video
Greetings from NÀÀtÀmö, Finland
Helsinki đ
So interesting. Thank you
The beat defense is a multilayered defense of overwhelming capability. Finland has made themselves into the prickly porcupine of Scandinavia with a monster as its guard.
Surma is standing at guard.
It isn't normal to have bunkers in most buildings?
No it isn't but when you have neighbors like Russia and those battle scars go generations deep, then it suddenly is... đ€·ââïž
One more thing to add: most highways go in N-S direction. Basicly no big roads go E-W. Same goes for railways.
That's no coincidence.
they also have a LOT of artillery
I would err away from using the Global Firepower Index - it only ranks countries based on the number of items they have rather than doing any qualitative analysis. Given the F35 kill ratio over many Russian aircraft, in comparative terms much of the Finnish equipment will be light-years ahead of the Russians
Global firepower is a total joke. FULL of mistakes on every country. It's just internet entertainment, nothing official.
Where did you get this "F35 kill ratio over many Russian aircraft"?
Also, if F35 is light-years ahead of the Russians as you say, the West should obviously give Ukraine about 10 of these "wunderwaffe" and just watch as they destroy all of Russia...
@@hyhhy It's not possible to "just give" super modern jets. Ukrainian pilots have never flew with a modern, western fighter jet of any sort. It takes A LOT of time to learn. Then there's the mechanics, other ground personnel and infrastucture, parts, weapons systems etc. It's extremely complicated and time consuming, it's pretty much like starting from scratch.
Also, no F35 user want's to take that chance that somehow russians would get one of those planes on their hands.
Btw, it's very easy to actually use the internet and read about that ratio mentioned. Like real info, not entertainment.
Also, the west doesn't want "all of russia destroyed". Just to stop annexing and harrassing other European countries.
Finland doesn't have any F-35s yet. Currently it's only Hornets.
@@formatique_arschloch Aside from all your other pointless BS and cope, what's the "real info" about that "kill ratio"?
Finland really should be investing heavily into military drone swarms. They have the world's best Zerg player, Serral, after all.
You got our support Finland đžđȘđ€đ«đź
And that is not a small one. Sweden and Finland are more than best friends :) I love having such a good country as a neighbour (I'm finnish). Finland has both the best and worst country imaginable as neghbours. Snart har vi bÄda hjÀlp av NATO ocksÄ.
@@oscix brothers 4 ever đžđȘâ€ïžđ«đź
Finland main strength is great allies nearby. Denmark, Sweden and Norway have good air forces and navys to aid finns decisively.
Yes, and it's easier if all are members of NATO. Smart strategic decision of Finland to join. Sweden has got a bit of history with Russia too....there's a chance that Russki would come for their peace of meat again.
Our main strength is our defense forces. Everything else comes after.
The bunkers and the hidden supplies within them (yes, really hidden) came to good help during early covid, when basically every other country had shortage of masks and other rudimentary medical equipment, Finland used these reserves to bolster our own defense against covid spread. That is why Finland was surprisingly enough well equipped agains covid.
People being borderline anti social was an another advantage.
Edit: Covid kind of worked as sort of stress test for us.
Lot of the stuff was from the swine flu 10 years ago and past its best before date. That 1991-2015 era was bad for the National Emergency Supply Agency and for the FDF, because politicians thought that we lived in a birds nest and wars in Europe were thing of the past. Lot of cuts for the defence and selling some of the stocks of the NESA. I hope the war in Ukraine paints a dark picture for many politicians and they think more about the security, of without a nation can't exist.
Saw a photo of Finns at a bus stop, standing about 15 feet apart. Advice had come out to stand 6 feet apart in lines. Caption: "They want us too stand CLOSER?"
- "Social distancing? Like, business as usual?"
- "Yeah but you can also stay home to work now"
- "Improvements, hell yeah"
No one is un-invadable......how well that invasion goes is another matter
Exactly.
I mean you would have to kill us all. To the last Finn.
@@braindisorder5043 Soviets inflicting 70k casualties (killed and wounded) on Finland was enough in Winter War to end it. Continuation War took 230k Finnish casualties plus 50k Germans.
That's under 10% of the population...
We want game, please
Finland has used since the 1930s what Einstein calls (Yes, to me Einstein will never die) Intellectual curiosity. This creates and designs solutions that go with the problems of yesterday, today, and the immediate and future tomorrow
The Ukraine was on paper one of the easiest to invade countries for Russia (Iâd say no lower than #4) and definitely easier than pre-NATO Finland. And we can plainly see how well thatâs going.
I think the biggest miss in the geology part was missing the blue and green stuff on the eastern part of Finland. Not much places to go with large attacking forces.
0:12 No not quite NATO applied to join Finland⊠because they knew the only thing that scares a Russian Field Marshal is a Finish private đ«đź
Suomi Perkele! đȘ
As someone who came to Europe, I find 3 countries the most fascinating.
Switzerland, Finland, and the Netherlands.
Switzerland and Finland are countries that have the highest respect in my book for what they did in ww2. That is how a nation should be.
Thanks!
You forgot another very important factor. Finland has its own Arms Industry.
Finland does have some arms industry, but it's really nothing to write home about. Pretty basic stuff.
@@hyhhy oh is it now? there is a reason why militaries and police forces around the world use and adopt the SAKO made rifles. the ammo they make is one of the best made anywhere if you look at consistancy. also Valmet with SAKO took the AKM and made it better than it already was.
1:38 not much point in this map either as the Paris Treaties of 1947 took all of Finlandâs Artic Coastline after the Continuation War.
Interesting video!
Amazing well done đ«đź
Finnish people are the best. Always glad to have them as my comrades. I do not get political at the moment when it comes to Finland. Some of the best men I'll ever know in my life hail from there.
We can't all be the best. You gotta pick a favorite.
3:40 love the fallout boy there
Every Finn i've met was a fun and interesting person with a love for alchohol. The schools and the society are also great. If the weather wasn't so bad, i'd move in an instant.
Here you got one Finn who does not care for alcohol. Never did. But that does not matter - neither does how crazy one is even without if most others do like to dive in a bottle on occasion. lol
The weather is not that bad, winters are dark yes but summer brings balance, you get sunlight looong into the evening and if you go north you get sunlight at night as well
Though sleeping becomes an issue
â@@ItsAweeb I love summer in Finland.
From May to September 2013 I have worked in Posio (Lapland). Beatiful country and lovely people.
TerveisiĂ€ Suomi. â€ïžđ«đź
Summers here are short (4 months maybe) and because of that we learn to appreciate them alot more. It's summer very soon and already I'm starting to feel summer vibes as the sun starts to shine alot brighter/warmer :)
The weather is not bad, your choice clothing is.
Go Finland! đ«đź
Impressive organization of Finland