Finland ‘unmasks’ its main trump card in case of war in Europe

He said this on Espreso TV.

"So far, the European Union doesn't always fully understand the level of threats. There are certain people who say that we need to prepare for war, that the EU is already in pre-war time. But in practice, we see a different picture when the relevant capacities of defense companies in some European countries are not being deployed. There are difficulties in fulfilling even their own promises regarding ammunition," the military expert commented.

In his opinion, this is the result of the stagnation of the defense industry in European countries for decades, starting with the end of the Cold War.

"Despite many calls, little is happening because some countries are shaking up their defense industry, and some are not even making the appropriate efforts. There is a great example - Finland, which has already started to unleash its main trump card in the war in Europe. As it turned out, Finland has been building up the appropriate stocks of production lines for military products for years, but at civilian enterprises. The Finnish Defense Ministry purchased production lines, installed them in factories and workshops so that on a certain D-Day these enterprises could start producing cartridges, grenades, ammunition, components, or repair military equipment. And all this was maintained for years. People were preparing, but they were just in sleep mode. Now, according to the Finnish Defense Ministry, such a reserve defense industry is starting to work in a test mode," said the Defence Express editor-in-chief.

Oleh Katkov summarized that the example of Finland, which has been preparing for decades not just for war, but for a protracted war, suggests that the country with a developed and extensive defense industry will have an advantage.

• Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that after joining NATO, Finland might have problems with Russia. He also announced the creation of the Leningrad Military District.
• On December 18, 2023, the United States and Finland signed the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in Washington, D.C., which will allow U.S. forces to stay and train on Finnish territory.
• On December 27, Russia announced that it plans to deploy new Coalition-SV howitzers in the Northern Military District, which borders Finland and Norway.
• On January 1, 2024, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo promised to continue long-term support for Ukraine and increase ammunition production.
• On January 19, Petteri Orpo said that his country was not afraid of a Russian invasion, but that all EU and NATO states should be prepared for all possible scenarios.