Finland is exploring the installation of anti-tank obstacles modelled on those used in Ukraine as it looks to fortify its border with Russia and strengthen defences on NATO's eastern flank, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki, commander of the Finnish Army, said in an interview that Russia has already begun rebuilding its military capacity, even though its full-scale invasion of Ukraine is well into its fifth year.
Throughout the conflict, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have relied on extensive defensive lines and anti-tank obstacles to slow down attackers. The invading forces have not found a reliable way to break through them and resume large-scale movement and manoeuvres, Välimäki noted.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, accounting for about half of NATO's land border with the country. Helsinki must now determine whether structures similar to those used in Ukraine would hold up in harsh northern weather conditions.
"Conditions in Finland are more challenging. If we build fortifications and dig anti-tank ditches or obstacles as deep as those in Ukraine, how long does it take before our environment turns them into artificial ponds?" Välimäki said.
According to the commander, Russia's efforts to replenish its weapons stockpiles are starting to yield some results, with T-90 tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and 2S19 self-propelled howitzers being delivered to storage sites. Finland lacks the capacity to prevent this rearmament, he said, so the goal instead is to deter Russia by convincing its military that an attack would fail.
"Everything we are doing now is about creating a threshold so that Russia does not go any further, whether we are talking about the alliance or Finland," he said.
Finland kept conscription in place and maintained territorial defence reserves after the Cold War ended, even as many European nations scaled back their armed forces. Despite a population of just 5.6 million, its military can mobilise about 280,000 troops in the event of war.
"When the war in Ukraine began, we improved our readiness and put 60,000 people through refresher training over two years," Välimäki said.
Finland is currently carrying out a reorganisation of its land forces that will run through to the end of the 2030s, covering equipment, armed forces structure, combat readiness and the capacity for sustained combat operations. The basic approach of deterring an attack through readiness has not changed, Välimäki noted, only the required scale has.
