"And Russia knows that.Let me tell you a story about a military that was supposedly one of the best in the world. "When you have military like ours, you really don't have that much to worry about," he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin partly justified his invasion of Ukraine by saying that he wanted to stop NATO expanding eastwards, but instead his invasion prompted Finland to abandon decades of neutrality to seek NATO membership.Īlexander Stubb, Finland's former prime minister, told Axios that Russia's threats over it joining NATO can be dismissed due to the strength of Finland's military. Lehtikuva/Lauri Heino via REUTERSĮvery Finnish person aged between 18 and 60 is also liable for military service, as the country's constitution says that every citizen is obligated to participate in its national defence.įinland says it trains around 21,000 new conscripts every year.Īnd the country has a wartime fighting reserve force of 280,000 soldiers, and almost 900,000 people that can be mobilized, according to Reuters.įinland said even before it joined the alliance that its defense forces "already meet NATO's military criteria: we have a strong national defence of our own and are adapted with the armed forces of different NATO countries."įinland becoming part of NATO is seen as a nightmare for Russia, which considers the alliance a key threat. Reservists from Finland's Karelia Brigade during a local defence exercise in Taipalsaari, Finland, in March 2022.
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