Contents tagged with Finland

  • Media: Finland building tunnels in case of Russian invasion

    The Finnish authorities explain the operating concept of a network of underground tunnels to the country's civilian population, Wall Street Journal reports. The decision was made in response to military exercises by Russia on the border with Finland.

    The infrastructure is located near Helsinki, and the total length of the tunnels is about 200 kilometers. Underground routes connect a single network of shopping centers, parking, electricity and water supply lines.

    Separate tunnels will be used …

  • The activity of Russian military aircraft has increased near Finland ‘s border

    In both the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea there has been an increase in the activity of Russian military aircraft noted in recent days, as reported by Yle news agency, citing the Finnish Air Force.

    “In recent days, in the region of both the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, there has been an increase in the Russian military aircraft activity. The Hornet Finnish fighters went aloft to intercept Russian aircraft yesterday and today. At the same time, it was noted that there were no …

  • An issue of Allegro magazine was removed from circulation in Finland due to its advertisement of tours to Crimea

    The Finnish state railway company, VR, has decided to seize the entire circulation of the Allegro magazine due to an advertisement for tourist trips to the Crimea, reported Yle news agency.

    Allegro magazine is intended for passengers of high-speed Allegro trains running between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. It is issued jointly by VR and JSC Russian Railways.

    The latest issue of the magazine contained an advertisement for Crimean travel published in Finnish, English, and Russian. The title …

  • Finland will increase military spending because of Russia's foreign policy

    The government of Finland will increase annual military spending by 55 million euros from the current level of 2.4 billion euros, Euobserver reports. After 2021, Finland will increase military spending by another 150 million euros annually.

    These steps are in connection with an increase in military tension in the Baltic region and Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine. "Russia is trying to strengthen their status as a world power and expressed its intention to create a security system based on …

  • 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 …

  • 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 …

  • 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 …

  • 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 …

  • 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 …

  • 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 …