Now Russia is sabre-rattling about Finland

[Model35mech]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-s-new-regiment-sounds-warning-to-finland/ar-AA16rmtZ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=d3a938124cfa422b8402e2fe65ef9d46

Russians are talking about raising tensions in Karelia, the region that borders most of Finland. It's long been a region where the Russians are uncomfortable. In 98 and 99 I spent summers on research in Karelia and no non-Russian was allowed within miles of the Russo-Finnish border.

It's a naturally beautiful place, if you like Birch and Boreal forest, tremendously reminiscent of northern MN

[Irish_Dem]

1. Russia can't stand for anyone else to have beautiful areas.

[panader0]

2. Especially Ukraine. It seems like such a beautiful country, now in ruins. All for nothing.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Yes all for one man's ego.

[Model35mech]

3. Well, Finland -was- once part of Mother Russia

This is consistent with Putin's desire to Make Russia a Great Empire Again.

That would make Putin an emperor, or as he might say a Tsar derived from Kaiser which is itself derived from Ceasar, and the original pan european dictators

[Irish_Dem]

10. Yes this is his train of thought.

Restoration of the great Russian empire.

Putin was devastated when the USSR broke apart and
vowed to get even with the West.

That is why he has been working on breaking up the European Union.
And the US, where the GOP is carving out little (state) empires.

[DFW]

15. Metternich "gave" Finland to Russia at the post-Napoleon Congress of Vienna in 1815

Just like he "gave" Norway to Sweden. The so-called Metternich System lasted about a century. You can still see the Russian double-headed eagle on Finnish coins of 1917.

In the beginning of the Second World War, Stalin thought he could take Finland back, but the Finns, with their tiny population compared to the Russians, gave Stalin a bloody nose when he thought he could just march in, and take the country in a week. Eventually, seeing the inevitable outcome of going it alone--it seems no one cared too much about Finland at the time--the Finns turned to the Germans, and became reluctant allies in order to keep Stalin at bay. When Germany lost the war, Stalin grabbed part of Karelia and neutered Finland's foreign policy for what was to become decades. This included the region's largest city Viipuri, which became "Vyborg," which was then "resettled" with ethnic Russians.The west let it happen as a partial reward for "Uncle Joe" being our ally against Hitler, albeit only after Hitler turned on his Non-Aggression Pact ally in June, 1941.

Karelian, like Estonian, is very closely related to Finnish, which, though similar in form to Hungarian, has nothing in common with any other language. Russians trying to decipher their communications would have had to hire a few sympathizers.

Just try making sense from this song in the Karelian dialect:

Just TRY to sing along:
Nuapurista kuulu se polokan tahti
Jalakani pohjii kutkutti
Ievan äiti se tyttöösä vahti
Vaan kyllähän Ieva sen jutkutti
Sillä ei meitä silloin kiellot haittaa
Kun myö tanssimme laiasta laitaan
Salivili hipput tupput täppyt
Äppyt tipput hilijalleen

Ievan suu oli vehnäsellä
Ko immeiset onnee toevotti
Peä oli märkänä jokaisella
Ja viulu se vinku ja voevotti
Ei tätä poikoo märkyys haittaa
Sillon ko laskoo laiasta laitaan
Salivili hipput tupput täppyt
Äppyt tipput hilijalleen

Ievan äiti se kammarissa
Virsiä veisata huijjuutti
Kun tämä poika naapurissa
Ämmän tyttöä nuijjuutti
Eikä tätä poikoo ämmät haittaa
Sillon ko laskoo laiasta laitaan
Salivili hipput tupput täppyt
Äppyt tipput hilijalleen

Siellä oli lystiä soiton jäläkeen
Sain minä kerran sytkyyttee
Kottiin ko mäntii ni ämmä se riitelj
Ja Ieva jo alako nyyhkyytteek
Minä sanon Ievalle mitäpä se haittaa
Laskemma vielähi laiasta laitaa
Salivili hipput tupput täppyt
Äppyt tipput hilijalleen

Muorille sanon jotta tukkee suusi
En ruppee sun terveyttäs takkoomaa
Terveenä peäset ku korjoot luusi
Ja määt siitä murjuus makkoomaa
Ei tätä poikoo hellyys haittaa
Ko akkoja huhkii laiasta laitaan
Salivili hipput tupput täppy
Äppyt tipput hilijalleen

Sen minä sanon jotta purra pittää
Ei mua niin voan nielasta
Suat männä ite vaikka lännestä ittään
Vaan minä en luovu Ievasta
Sillä ei tätä poikoo kainous haittaa
Sillon ko tanssii laiasta laitaan
Salivili hipput tupput täppyt
Äppyt tipput hilijalleen

[Just A Box Of Rain]

4. Land the Soviet Union seized from Finland in WWII.

[Beetwasher.]

5. Finland would kick Russia's Ass Single Handedly

n/t

[Model35mech]

6. It's definitely hard to imagine Russia fighting Ukraine and Finland

at the same time.

But' it's not hard at all to imagine Russian bombarding Finland with missles.


Finland is still black-balled from NATO by Turkey which might complicate European protection. Russia has nost of it's missile bearing Northern Fleet anchored at Murmansk which is not so very many miles north and east of Finland's northern border

Can't say what that means exactly, though, It seems Russia is currently doing a bit of musical chairs with it's fleets

[Amishman]

11. Given Russia's impotent missile defense in Ukraine

That fleet at Murmansk would quickly cease to exist.

Finland has Gabriel 5 anti-ship missiles, which are considered to be some of the world's most capable.

Russia's missile defense systems can't reliably intercept HIMARs missiles which are decades older tech. They even struggle with the old Toshka U which are big, slow, and can't evade

Not to mention Finland's US made F18s and the precision air to surface weapons they have for them.

Russia's military has been completely exposed as a sham, having nothing but numbers in their favor. Their equipment simply doesn't work as claimed. And with the Ukraine war closing in on a year, their numbers advantage isn't nearly what it was last year.

[Hekate]

13. Russia has been very potent indeed in killing civilians and turning cities into rubble...

Putin may have created a complete cluster* — but he is good at terror and destruction.

[Chainfire]

7. Putin wants nothing to do with Finland.

These are the people that handed Stalin his head in the Winter War, and Putin ain't no Stalin.

[Beetwasher.]

17. Yup, And They've Never STOPPED Being Prepared to Do it Again Ever Since

Finland would wipe the floor with Russia.

[Samrob]

8. That is precisely why we should have listened to Zelensky and pulled out all stops.

Russia and Putin will not stop unless the rest of world stops them. nt

[roamer65]

12. Opening a second front on the Finnish border would be a HUGE mistake for Putler.

[Kennah]

14. What's one more front, the history of Finland punching back, and the whole NATO thing

[Captain Zero]

16. Any chance they want NATO to divert resources

to Finland so as to draw resources away from Ukraine?