Scandinavian observations and perspectives

[Tomiro]

With all the anti-Russian rhetoric and actions by our government, I thought this was a funny news article.

Record ice cover over the Gulf of Finland this year has led to cargo ships getting stuck in the ice, both in international and Finnish waters, and Finland apparently had to ask for help from the "Russian shadow fleet" of icebreakers.

In other news:

A serious threat to the energy infrastructure in all Nordic countries is being investigated, according to information provided to TV4 Nyheterna.
Swedish authorities have gone on alert – and the police are monitoring socially critical facilities.
– It is true that we have urged the energy sector to be more vigilant in Sweden, says Ola Billger at FRA.

According to information provided to TV4 Nyheterna, a threat image from an actor, believed to be connected to a foreign power, has been directed at the energy network throughout the Nordic region, including Sweden.

...

The threat actor has reportedly given a deadline before striking. TV4 Nyheterna does not know how the attack will be carried out or what the threat consists of.

– According to the threat, the actor may strike in the near future, says an informant.

Just typical scaremongering, or are they planning something?

 

[Tomiro]

Our retarded Finnish politicians have in secret decided to change our laws, and remove a legal ban on nuclear weapons on our territory.
If these changes pass, it would make Finland the only Nordic country without any restrictions on nuclear weapons.
Reading though the comment section on the news article, the overwhelming majority are not happy with this.

The threat of nuclear wepons on Russia's border being one the key reason for the Ukraine war, so not sure what the goal is.

 

[Tomiro]

Some statements from Russia on the nuclear issue, reported by TASS

Allowing the deployment and stationing of nuclear weapons in Finland would fundamentally undermine the existing international security framework and escalate the NATO-Russia confrontation to a tangible, operational level, warned Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).

"The deployment of nuclear weapons in Finland would elevate the potential conflict between NATO and Russia to a starkly realistic and dangerous level, given the existential threats Russia faces. Ultimately, this would result in the collapse of the current international security architecture," Stepanov told TASS.

He also noted that the steps toward deploying nuclear weapons in Finland have been evident for some time. The initial move was Helsinki's purchase of F-35 fighters for 10 billion euros in 2021. The subsequent development was Finland's accession to NATO, which opens the door for the alliance to establish additional military infrastructure on Finnish territory, including nuclear capabilities.

...

In response, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated during a briefing that the deployment of nuclear weapons on Finnish soil poses a direct threat to Russia and would not go unanswered. Peskov emphasized that Finland's intentions to deploy nuclear arms are escalating tensions across Europe, heightening the risk of broader conflict.

Russia is not known for making empty threats or statements, and this is in line with what Putin said when we joined NATO. Essentially; go ahead, but nuclear missiles or similar on our border is where we draw the line.

I also came across an old interview with Putin from 2016, where he predicted what would likely happen if we join NATO:

– Let's imagine that Finland joins NATO. This means that Finland's defense forces would no longer be independent or completely sovereign, but would become part of NATO's military infrastructure.

"I would say that NATO would probably be willing to fight Russia to the last Finnish soldier," Putin said, spreading his arms and smiling.

Putin then said that Russians do not need this – and wondered whether Finns do.

Another law is also being prepared in Finland, that would give the police much broader rights to spy on people, without any suspicion of a crime.

According to the draft law, criminal intelligence could be targeted at a person who, based on statements, threats, behavior or circumstances, can be assumed to be participating in activities that seriously threaten the safety of an individual or society.

In addition, criminal intelligence can ultimately be directed at another person who is presumed to have information about the threatening activity being targeted. The person being targeted does not have to be involved in the threatening activity themselves, and family members, for example, are not excluded.

This sounds incredible vague. Are we going down the UK route with people eventually getting arrested for social media posts?

Our Finnish Security and Intelligence Service is also for the first time doing a public recruitment, looking for "ordinary Finns to operate in the shadows", who can speak Russian and Chinese.