Contents tagged with Finland
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Media: Estonia and Finland to purchase heavy artillery from South Korea
The Armed Forces of Finland allocated EUR 100 million for the purchase of heavy artillery, which will replace old post-Soviet weapons. According to the newspaper Rzeczpospolita, at the end of 2016, the Finnish army tested South Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers. Those are equipped with a 155 mm gun, and their range of fire is 40 km. The Howitzer's maximum speed is about 70 km per hour.
Moreover, the newspaper noted that Helsinki plans on purchasing used howitzers. The Finnish Defense …
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Poroshenko refused to give an interview to Russian journalists
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, refused to give an interview to Russian journalists in Helsinki. According to Interfax-Ukraine, journalists from a Russian TV station came up to the Ukrainian President during his visit to the Finnish Parliament and asked him to answer their questions.
“Stop killing Ukrainians and free the territory!” Poroshenko said in response to their questions.
The President of Ukraine reported that seven Ukrainians have died in the Donbas in January alone. In …
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The President of Finland: Russia longs for its former greatness
The primary problem that we face today is global security, this affects the Baltic Sea and many other regions. The tension is growing in the world and Russia is trying to take a more secure position (from its perspective) in such conditions, the President of Finland stated, as reported by Yle.
“At a basic level, Russia longs for its former greatness,” Sauli Niinistö added. Niinistö also commented on the statement of the President-elect of the United States regarding the lifting of anti-Russian …
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Finnish PM: Sanctions on Russia can be lifted only after Minsk agreements are implemented
The Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä, stated that negotiations on lifting the EU’s sanctions against Russia will be held only after the implementation of the Minsk agreements, as was reported by the Yle broadcasting company.
Sipilä was skeptical about the possible abolition of the EU sanctions against Russia and due to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Finland, according to the Prime Minister, fully supports the common EU line in this regard.
"The EU …
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Finland made a joint proposal with Estonia to procure howitzers from South Korea
The Minister of Defense of Finland, Jussi Niinistö reported that his agency proposed the joint procurement of K-9 Thunder 155-mm howitzers. As he said in his interview with Helsingin Sanomat, currently, the Finnish Defense Forces are replacing weapons previously purchased from the Soviet Union and they intend to purchase the new howitzers from South Korean company Samsung Techwin.
Weapon test firings were held two weeks ago at the Rovajärvi artillery practice range. “Now, when we discuss …
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Finland reported the presence unknown drones near its military facilities
During exercises in Finland, unidentified drones were observed near military facilities, as reported by YLE citing Colonel Vesa Mäntylä from the Defence Forces’ operations division of the General Staff of Finland. He did not say what type of drones or whether they were Russian.
As reported by YLE, military exercises in Sweden were stopped earlier due to the emergence of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).
In May, Poland reported that in 2015, Russian drones violated the air space of the country …
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Finland holds large naval drills in the Baltic Sea
The MEPU-16 naval drills, which are the main drills conducted by the Finnish Naval Forces in 2016, started on Wednesday in the Gulf of Finland and the Archipelago Sea, as reported by the Finnish Broadcasting Company. 2,700 people, including 900 professional soldiers, will take part in the naval drills.
The Commander of the Finnish Navy, Mika Niemi, stated that there are approximately 1,400 recruits and 400 reservists taking part in the exercises. In addition about 30 warships, including a Hä …
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Finland is concerned that Russia is buying Finnish property for military purposes
The Finnish Security Intelligence Service suspects that the real estate acquired by foreigners might be used for military purposes.
This was reported by the Finnish Iltalehti newspaper referring to the report of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service which was reportedly sent for review to the parliament of Finland.
“These steps can be a part of the preparation to exert influence in critical situations. The concern is about land transactions which don’t have any business logic behind them,” …
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The Presidents of Finland and Estonia don’t exclude imposing new sanctions against Russia
During a press conference in Helsinki, the Presidents of Finland and Estonia, Sauli Niinistö and Kersti Kaljulaid, stated they have not excluded imposing additional sanctions against Russia due to its actions in Syria, reported Postimees news agency. According to the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, who is in Finland on a State visit, what is happening in Syria is the largest humanitarian disaster of our time.
Kaljulaid noted that, according to the international community, if sanctions …
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Finland begins large-scale air force exercise
The annual large-scale exercises of the Finnish Air Force began on Monday, October 10, 2016 as reported by the Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yle.
The exercises, referred to as ‘Ruska,’ are the largest Air Force exercises of the year. They include 2,600 participants, as well as 1,600 reservists and thousands of Air Force soldiers and airmen.
For the first time, soldiers and aircraft from the Swedish Air Force will also participate in this five-day exercise. As stated by the Lieutenant Colonel …
