Russian games

Russia is notoriously playing its own game, where lies are truth and historical events can be altered. One example of the latter was seen when the Supreme Court of Karelia, a region belonging to Russia, officially declared the actions of the Finnish army during World War II to be a war crime and genocide.

Interestingly enough, the cases that were brought up have also been addressed in Finnish courts - long ago - and 213 people were convicted, 22 of whom were deemed lacking full understanding. On the other hand, neither the Soviet Union nor Russia has ever held a trial concerning the treatment of Finnish prisoners of war in their prisons during World War II.

Perhaps these two facts distinguish the rule of law from a criminal dictatorship. Where the former holds its own soldiers legally accountable for mistreating captured prisoners, the latter sees no need for such actions under any circumstances.

Or has my esteemed reader heard of any Russian soldiers being brought to justice for the crimes they committed in Ukraine over the past couple of years? No? Neither have I.

Previous thoughts on the same topic: 
Will Russia Test NATO's Article Five?
The Game is Getting Tougher
Finns Feel Sympathy for Ukrainians Because They Share a Similar Experience

Rediscovered Relics: The Story Behind Finland's WWII Weapon Caches

Yesterday, approximately 200 old military rifles were found buried in Finland. They had already decayed beyond use, but they served as a reminder of the post-World War II situation.

In 1944, Finland had succeeded in halting the large-scale Russian offensive and subsequently signed an armistice, after which German soldiers were driven out of the country during the Lapland War, which destroyed the entire northernmost Finnish settlement. Although the peace thus achieved was welcome to the ordinary people, there was a fear that the Russians would continue their military actions and ultimately subjugate the Finns under their own control.

In preparation for this situation, caches were established across the country, where weapons were stored for guerrilla operations. The project was, of course, eventually revealed, and its scale is evidenced by the fact that a total of 1,488 people were convicted in court in connection with it.

However, many officers who led the arms caches fled to the West, including Alpo Marttinen, who had distinguished himself as the right hand man of Hjalmar Siilasvuo in the Battle of Raate Road by destroying a Soviet division, and Lauri Törni, who ultimately died in Vietnam under the name Larry A. Thorne. Both of whom embarked on new military careers in the United States.

The recently discovered military rifles are one of these caches, whose existence sent a strong message to the Russians that the Finns were still ready to defend their homeland. This perhaps influenced the fact that Finland was not annexed by the Soviet Union or subjected to its vassal state, as happened to other Eastern European countries.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finns Feel Sympathy for Ukrainians Because They Share a Similar Experience
Finnish weapons are being tested against the Russians in Ukraine
History of Finland XIV: The end of the first Finnish Republic

Finnish weapons are being tested against the Russians in Ukraine

Russia's attack on Ukraine seems to have stalled. The reason for this is likely both the weakness of the Russians and the increase in aid Ukraine is receiving from Western countries.

In this regard, it was interesting to note that Finland has sent both older equipment and the latest products of its defense industry to Ukraine. The reason for the latter is to gather information about their effectiveness in a combat situation, especially against the Russians.

The fact remains that no one other than Russia threatens Finland's security. However, Russia's enthusiasm may be curbed by the harsh experiences of World War II -including both Winter War and Continuation War during which nearly half a million Russian soldiers were killed or went missing on the Finnish front, and even more were wounded. And in the end, the small nation of Finland remained unconquered by the then-superpower.

Hopefully, the recent change in the war in Ukraine means that the Russians will experience bitter lessons similar to those on the Finnish front in World War II, and the country's leadership will learn such a lesson that it will understand to leave its neighbors untouched in the future. It would be wise for the simple reason that now there is equipment tested specifically against them, the effectiveness of which should be beyond doubt, as the weapon systems will undoubtedly be further developed based on the experiences gained from the war in Ukraine.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Technically backward, miscellaneous group of gunmen
The procrastination of Western countries is paid for with the blood of soldiers
Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs reminded Russians about their nightmare

Is French military history repeating itself in Ukraine?

Based on yesterday's news, Ukraine has managed to break through Russia's strongest defensive line in the Zaporiizhia region. This news is likely to warm the hearts of most Western people, but at the same time, it raises concerns for many about whether the Russian defense line might still be too long and heavily fortified for the Ukrainians.

As an example of this, Emil Kastehelmi, known for his strategic maps, expressed his concern about the situation's development. According to him, "Ukraine might still be able to push forward with a village or two, but a too narrow attack corridor could expose their flanks to a difficult and threatening situation."

Naturally, I don't have more information about the war situation from my living room, nor do I possess a crystal ball that shows the future. However, I do know quite a bit about the past, and that's why I decided to share a piece of information with you, dear readers.

Let's go back to the year 1940 in France. It trusted its fortification chain known as the Maginot Line along the German border after World War I. To the Gauls' dismay, the Germans bypassed the line from the north and didn't stay to fight for control of it; instead, they advanced straight to Paris.

Thus, the heavily fortified Maginot Line proved to be rather useless. Or rather, it became detrimental by tying the French forces to its positions - effectively removing them from the decisive battles of the western front in 1940.

So, in this article, I ask: what prevents the Ukrainians from repeating the same maneuver the Germans did in 1940? In the current situation, they could pour their reserves into the emerging gap and bypass the Russian fortifications, advancing deep behind Russian lines and ultimately reaching the Black Sea coast, cutting off the northern supply route that runs along the coastline.

If, at the same time, the Ukrainians manage to keep the Kerch Strait bridge at least partially impassable with missiles and drone strikes, a massive cauldron would form in Southern Ukraine. Russian forces - or at least their motivation - would likely be insufficient to break this encirclement. On the contrary, with supply lines severed, surrender might become a thought for several Russian soldiers and units.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
History of Finland XIV: The end of the first Finnish Republic
Victims of Russian leaders
A Finnish military professor predicted the possibilities of Ukraine's counterattack

History of Finland XIV: The end of the first Finnish Republic

This is the fourteenth part of a blog post series where I go through the significant events in Finnish history. In the thirteenth post, I described how Finland managed to develop again through peaceful democratic means after the rise of the extreme right-wing following the civil war initiated by the old Social Democratic Party.

As my esteemed reader well remembers, this development was interrupted by World War II. For Finland, the most significant chain of events occurred already before the Winter War.

I'm referring to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, in which Finland was defined as part of the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. As a result, the Kremlin offered our country a trade-off, in which we would give up areas on the Karelian Isthmus and Hanko, seen as important for the security of Leningrad, but would receive land in East Karelia in return.

Finland refused the trade mainly because the government believed that the Soviet Union was just bluffing. Not even the fact that Hitler's closest confidant - Marshal Hermann Göring - advised Finland to accept the offer, hinting that our country would get its losses back with interest during the coming major war. In the Baltic countries, Göring's similar speeches were believed and they agreed to Moscow's demands, which later, in a changed situation, led to the occupation of these countries.

As a result of Finland's stubbornness, Russia began to threaten our country through its media and moved its troops to the border. Since these methods did not make the Cajander government yield, Stalin also staged the shelling in Mainila and denounced the non-aggression treaty between the countries.

Even these measures did not change the Finnish government's position because it could not believe in an attack, at least not without an ultimatum or a threat to start a war. Moscow, on the other hand, could not give such a declaration because it would have been contrary to the propaganda image it created of the Soviet Union as a peace-loving state.

Therefore, the Soviet army eventually crossed the border, citing the shots fired at Mainila. This surprised the Finnish government, which believed in the impossibility of war, and it fell. After that, a new government tried to agree on a territorial exchange with Stalin. However, it was already too late, as Stalin was only discussing with the puppet government led by Otto Wille Kuusinen that he had established.

During the Winter War, the Finns remembered Göring's offer, which led to Finland's submission to the harsh peace terms of the Winter War, despite the still unbeaten army and military assistance offered - although not given - by England and France. However, the latter made Stalin begin negotiations with Finland.

At this point, the Finnish leadership had assessed that Germany would win the upcoming great war, at least against Russia, and that Finland would get its losses back with interest. This view was based mainly on the fact that Russia had also suffered a defeat during the First World War against Germany, which later lost the war.

Thus, our country was drawn into the Continuation War, in which the objectives were set clearly beyond the borders of 1939. Finland became dependent on Germany for both energy and food self-sufficiency. As a side note, it should be mentioned that the extradition of some Jews to the Nazis was done because Germany required it as a condition for grain deliveries.

In Finland, it was understood no later than 1942 that Germany would not win the war. This led to peace enquiries, during which Stalin was proposed to withdraw to the borders prior to the Winter War, which, of course, did not suit to the Generalissimo, who demanded the peace borders of the Winter War. This was not accepted, so Stalin agreed on future borders with other allies at the Tehran Conference in 1943, receiving in return permission to retain the Baltic states - that had previously "voluntarily" joined the Soviet Union - as his own after the war.

Thus, Finland's fate was left to weapons, and the solution proved to be the breaking of the front in the battles of June 9-10. After that, President Risto Ryti made his famous personal agreement with Hitler to receive military support, and the Commander-in-Chief transferred troops from Olonets Karelia, where the Soviet war machine was once again stopped - primarily due to the technically superior artillery fire of the Finns.

After this, a peace process was initiated as the Soviet Union needed its soldiers in the race to Berlin. Finland got its post-Winter War borders with Petsamo reduced and exchange of Hanko peninsula to the Porkkala peninsula closer to Helsinki. Additionally, Finland committed to clearing Lapland of German troops and paying heavy war reparations.

The war marked the end of the era of the first republic, often referred to as White Finland. During this time, the society that was extremely divided after the Civil War had gradually and especially during the Winter War, grown into a unified state, where the old aristocracy had been ousted and the working class had taken its place.

It was a world of peasants, businessmen, higher civil servants, and the intelligentsia, where even working-class families had dreams of social advancement by sending their children to study and thus pursue success in society. In other words, this was the foundation for poor Finland's development into one of the world's best places to live.

The original blog post in Finnish:
Suomen ensimmäisen tasavallan loppu

All the blog posts in this series:
History of Finland I: How did Finland become culturally part of the West?
History of Finland II: From a hinterland of the Union into a modern state
History of Finland III: The legal and economic weakening of the position of the people
History of Finland IV: The bleakest time in Finnish history
History of Finland V: The pursuit of economic profit saved the country
History of Finland VI: Age of freedom and utility
History of Finland VII: The dictator of the era of Enlightenment promoted capitalist economy
History of Finland VIII: Joining of Finland to Russia led to an increase in crime
History of Finland IX: Enlightended dictator initiated economic growth
History of Finland X: The birth of Finnish identity
History of Finland XI: Finnish democracy and gender equality for women
History of Finland XII: Bloody civil war
History of Finland XIII: The far-right's rebellion
History of Finland XIV: The end of the first Finnish Republic
History of Finland XV: Paasikivi-Kekkonen doctrine
History of Finland XVI: Through rise and fall to a new kind of future