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Finland Warns Russia's Imperial Ambitions Reach Far Beyond Ukraine
(MENAFN) Russia's territorial goals stretch well past Ukraine, with Moscow aiming to reclaim influence it once held during the Soviet period, Finland's defense minister said Monday, according to a public broadcaster.
"Russia's imperial ambitions will not end with Ukraine," said Antti Hakkanen, referencing the war that began in 2022 and is now entering its fifth year.
Hakkanen characterized the threat from Moscow as persistent and hard to predict, urging Finland to meet it with a composed but resolute stance.
"The time to strengthen Finland's national defense is now," he said.
He cautioned that the effects of Europe's ramped-up defense spending would not be fully felt until the 2030s.
Finland is also deepening its counter-drone partnership with neighboring Sweden. Hakkanen called the collaboration "a significant and historic step" toward tighter Finnish-Swedish defense cooperation, framing it as evidence that Nordic nations are taking fuller ownership of their own security.
Finland shares a 1,343-kilometer (834-mile) frontier with Russia — the longest border any NATO member has with the country. On Monday, Finnish officials confirmed the completion of a 200-kilometer (124-mile) barrier along that border, built to block unauthorized crossings.
Construction followed a 2023 surge in asylum seekers entering via the eastern border, which pushed Finland to shut its border crossings at the time. Officials say they still view the possibility of migration being used as a pressure tactic as a live concern.
The barrier project carried a price tag of €356 million ($416 million), with upkeep expected to run an additional €1.5 million ($1.8 million) annually.
Russia's predecessor state, the Soviet Union, invaded Finland in November 1939. The resulting Winter War dragged on for more than three months; despite suffering heavy casualties, Soviet forces ultimately prevailed.
"Russia's imperial ambitions will not end with Ukraine," said Antti Hakkanen, referencing the war that began in 2022 and is now entering its fifth year.
Hakkanen characterized the threat from Moscow as persistent and hard to predict, urging Finland to meet it with a composed but resolute stance.
"The time to strengthen Finland's national defense is now," he said.
He cautioned that the effects of Europe's ramped-up defense spending would not be fully felt until the 2030s.
Finland is also deepening its counter-drone partnership with neighboring Sweden. Hakkanen called the collaboration "a significant and historic step" toward tighter Finnish-Swedish defense cooperation, framing it as evidence that Nordic nations are taking fuller ownership of their own security.
Finland shares a 1,343-kilometer (834-mile) frontier with Russia — the longest border any NATO member has with the country. On Monday, Finnish officials confirmed the completion of a 200-kilometer (124-mile) barrier along that border, built to block unauthorized crossings.
Construction followed a 2023 surge in asylum seekers entering via the eastern border, which pushed Finland to shut its border crossings at the time. Officials say they still view the possibility of migration being used as a pressure tactic as a live concern.
The barrier project carried a price tag of €356 million ($416 million), with upkeep expected to run an additional €1.5 million ($1.8 million) annually.
Russia's predecessor state, the Soviet Union, invaded Finland in November 1939. The resulting Winter War dragged on for more than three months; despite suffering heavy casualties, Soviet forces ultimately prevailed.
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