Finland opts for deeper defense strategy over border fortifications

Finland, unlike the Baltic countries, does not plan to build military fortifications along its border, according to Finnish press reports. As reported by the local media, the goal of Finland's defense, in case of a Russian attack, is to conduct defensive operations deeper in the country rather than stopping the enemy immediately.

Finnish broadcaster Yle presented the differences in defense planning among the countries on NATO's eastern flank. The article describes the Baltic Line, which involves plans by Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to build fortifications along their eastern borders. Estonia, for instance, plans to construct around 370 bunkers, anti-tank barriers, and other defenses.

Col. Janne Mäkitalo, head of the land combat school in the Finnish armed forces, commented that no defensive fortification is impervious when faced with appropriate artillery force and air-ground systems.

“The Finnish thinking has been to allow the enemy to advance a little inwards and then beat them back,” explains military policy expert Col. Juhani Pihlajamaa.

This strategy means "defense must have depth," whereby battles can be fought further inland from the eastern border, as emphasized in Yle's report.

The authorities of Lappeenranta, a city located 12 miles from the Russian border, trust the country's central defense doctrine. Evacuation plans have been updated in the city, and investments have been made in generators and emergency power systems deployed in various parts of the city, revealed Ari-Pekka Meuronen, head of the city's security and crisis management department.

Experts also emphasize that Finland's land border with Russia is different from Estonia's, not only due to terrain conditions but also because it is several times longer. It extends over 810 miles, and fortifying it would require enormous expenditures. Permanent fortifications built during peacetime also require continuous maintenance.

However, some politicians are more enthusiastic about erecting new fortifications on the eastern border.

"Fortification enhances security, raises the threshold for attack, and is worth considering while not provoking anyone," wrote Finnish Ambassador to Washington Mikko Hautala, previously head of Finland’s mission in Moscow, in an article for the weekly "Kuvalehti."

Yle reminded that the Finnish armed forces have erected various types of fortifications for years in different parts of the country, in crucial defense areas such as warehouses or military garrisons. It is a common practice to make agreements with landowners, under which, in exchange for financial compensation, the military can build bunkers and other fortifications or conduct maneuvers on private land.

The border area still has old fortifications from the so-called Salpa Line, which include stone blocks, anti-tank "dragon's teeth," bunkers, dugouts, and other types of defenses erected during World War II, after the defeat in the Winter War against the Soviets. The fortifications were put in place from Lapland to the Gulf of Finland in case of another offensive threat, but the main barriers were built in the south, in the Saimaa Lake region. Many elements of this chain are still well-preserved, acknowledged Armi Oinonen, a researcher from the Salpa Line Museum.

During the Winter War of 1939-1940, the Red Army breached the Mannerheim Line in southeastern Finland, a series of fortifications built during the late 1920s and early 1930s spanning about 80 miles. As a result of the USSR attack, Finland lost about 10 percent of its territory, including part of Karelia.