In this conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Finland has closed its railway links with Russia for one moment, said that it will join NATO for another moment, and then claimed: "Russia is ready to come over and attack Finland. There is something buried under the soil of Finland." 200,000 Russian (Soviet) soldiers. "
Among the Nordic countries, Finland is definitely one of the Nordic countries whose relationship with Russia can be called a feud. There is a huge gap between the two countries.
Finland borders the Sea of Bothnia to the west, the Baltic Sea to the southwest, the Gulf of Finland to the south, Norway and Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. The Finnish-Russian border is more than 1,300 kilometers long. Finland is also known as the country of a thousand lakes. It is not just a thousand lakes. Finland has a total of about 188,000 lakes and about 179,000 islands. Finland covers an area of about 338,000 square kilometers, and freshwater accounts for nearly one-tenth of it.
Finland once belonged to Sweden. Tsarist Russia rose strongly. In order to open up the Baltic Sea, it was natural to focus on Finland. In the Russian-Russian War of 1808 AD, Russia, as the victor, took control of Finland. After the founding of the Soviet Union in 1917, Finland became independent.
The current St. Petersburg was formerly called Leningrad. It is the largest port and the second largest city in the Soviet Union. For the Soviet Union, any threat to Leningrad could not be tolerated. A city in the southeastern tip of Finland is right next to Leningrad. This is Viborg . The Finnish-Soviet border is only 25 kilometers away from Leningrad. No matter who calls the Soviet Union home, they will not be able to sleep.
Finland maintains close ties with European powers such as Germany, which makes the Soviet Union believe that Finland may become a springboard for Germany to attack the Soviet Union. Germany and the Soviet Union made a deal, and Finland was included in the Soviet sphere of influence. The Soviet Union required Finland to cede part of its territory bordering the Soviet Union to ensure the security of Leningrad. At the same time, the Soviet Union demanded to lease the Hanko Peninsula, which guarded the connection between the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. This exceeded the bottom line that Finland could accept.
Picture - Viborg
The famous Winter War started. We will not go into details about the specific battles. In the end, the Soviet Union paid a huge price and defeated miserably, but at least the goals were achieved. Vyborg, Finland's second largest city, was assigned to the Soviet Union, and the Soviet Union also leased the Hanko Peninsula to expand its presence in the Baltic Sea.
Finland has always been unconvinced. When Germany almost crossed the Soviet Union, Finland thought that the opportunity for revenge had come, but its dream of regaining the lost territory was still shattered. Naturally, the Soviet Union would not let Finland go and forced Finland to cede the northernmost Bechamo .
The northernmost part of Finland is within easy reach of the Arctic Ocean, but is separated by the very short border between Norway and Russia. Betzamo is the place in Finland where you can listen to the sound of the Arctic Ocean. Losing Bei Chaimo is like losing Tumen River Estuary in the Qing Dynasty. This kind of historical pain cannot be touched.
During the heyday of the Soviet Union, although Finland and the Soviet Union shared a border, the threat was not great. After the disintegration of and the Soviet Union, the situation was different. The Soviet Union controlled the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and had unhindered access to the Baltic Sea. But now that the three Baltic countries have joined NATO, the United States has opened one door to Russia, and the other door is Finland on the north side of the Gulf of Finland. Compared with the Soviet Union, Russia's strength has shrunk significantly. Finland is not so afraid and is closer to the West.
Of course, Russia has the nuclear stick to destroy the world. Finland still does not dare to push Russia into a hurry, and it is still a little more measured than Ukraine . For Russia, the logic that cannot tolerate Finland joining NATO is the same as that it cannot tolerate Ukraine joining NATO. If Ukraine joins NATO, NATO forces will be only a few hundred kilometers away from Moscow. If Finland joins NATO, St. Petersburg, which is of great significance to Russia, will be opened wide, and at the same time it will significantly lose its freedom of entry and exit from the Gulf of Finland.
Although the three Baltic countries have also joined NATO, they are all small countries. The combined length of the borders between Estonia, Latvia and Russia is only about 600 kilometers (not counting the border between Lithuania and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad). The more than 1,300 kilometers of border between Finland and Russia will be too dangerous for Russia once it is used by NATO.
Russia's northernmost large city Murmansk is an important strategic stronghold in the Arctic Ocean. If Finland joins NATO, the United States can make a big fuss on the long Finnish-Russian border, which will involve Russia's relatively limited comprehensive national strength. Of course the United States hopes that Finland will join NATO. Anyway, if there is a war, the battlefield will be in Finland, and the United States will not feel bad if it is defeated.
Once Finland joins NATO, it will hit Russia very hard. Therefore, Russia warned Finland and Sweden across the Baltic Sea not to join NATO or face the consequences.
