After decades of neutrality, Finland is set to join NATO. Despite economic dependence on Russian tourists, some border residents are buying food for 72 hours, inspecting bomb shelters and morally preparing to repel the Russian invasion.

The BBC investigated how there was a break in the minds of society.

On 12 May, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced their support for NATO membership.

Then the parliament must announce its position. This will probably happen in a few days.

However, the inhabitants of the regions bordering Russia have long been determined.

“When Russia started the war in Ukraine, we felt that at some point we might be next,” a local Yuso resident told the BBC. “I served in the army. our history “.

“I have already prepared in case I have to go (fight),” he added.

Yuso is a bar manager in the Russian border town of Lappeenranta. From here to the Russian border 25 kilometers. He says most of his acquaintances are in favor of Finland’s accession to NATO.

He used to hesitate, but after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were more arguments for NATO.

“We have a neighbor, Russia. And you never know what they’re going to do,” he said.

Most of them are in Finland.

Compared to pre-war times, support for Finland’s membership in NATO has increased 2.5 times. According to opinion polls by Helsingin Sanomat and Kantar TNS, in January this year only 28% of Finns were in favor of joining NATO, in March this support rose to 54%, and by May almost three quarters of the population (73%) supported Finland’s accession. to NATO.

Opponents of the poll acknowledged that the main argument for them was the fear of damaging relations with Russia, which would result in losses for both tourism and services.

According to the Finnish state marketing organization Visit Finland, in 2018 a third of tourists came to the country from Russia. In the year before the pandemic, the Russians spent 650 million euros in Finland. This is about 21% of the total expenditure of tourists who visited the country that year.

In the event of war, the inhabitants of the border regions will not only be the first on the path of the Russian army, but will also lose more than others, because this is where Russian tourists left the most money.

“The war worries us more than the economy. Finland’s economy is stable. Russian tourists disappeared almost three years ago due to the coronavirus, and we managed without Russian money,” Yuso said.

But if Yuso can cope, then Muhammad, who lives in the same Lappeenranta, may burn out.

It owns a shopping center three kilometers from the border. 99% of his clients are Russians. Now there are almost no buyers. The store operates on online sales, but this is only 15% of the previous turnover.

Muhammad is waiting for the countries to lift restrictions on travel across the border, and hopes that the Russians will return.

“If there are no new restrictions due to the war, I think we will recover quickly. If there are, it will not be very good,” he said.

Muhammad opposes Finland’s accession to NATO. He does not want to merge Russia once again. However, he hopes that nothing will change among the people.

“Ordinary people – me or a neighbor or any Russian – don’t care whether we join NATO or not. It won’t change anything in people’s lives,” he said.

There are dozens of such shopping centers along the border. Half of them are closed, others work with restrictions. In Lappeenranta itself, traders lose money every day.

Serhiy owned a fur shop in the city center, but it closed immediately after the ruble fell in 2015. Serhiy then took care of the supply of food to Muhammad’s shop, but the business also declined. Sergei himself went to Italy

“I don’t know what they will do there,” he said.

Stores designed for local buyers also have difficulties.

Kasri manages a shopping center in Lappeenranta. According to her, about a third of customers came from Russia.

“Every day we lose sales, and all over the city,” she admits. “But I believe and hope that they will return. We are still neighbors, no one has moved anywhere.”

Almost two million Russian tourists come to the Lappeenranta pandemic each year (about half of all Russians who come to Finland). After the flow stopped due to a pandemic, the city loses a million euros a year.

Mayor Kimmo Järva believes that due to Finland’s accession to NATO, the Russians may not return.

“We are waiting and hoping that they will return. But I am not sure about their attitude towards Finland,” he said.

But the attitude of Finns to ordinary people on the other side of the border, according to the mayor, has not changed.

“There are relations between Finns and Russians on both sides of the border. My wife from Russia, she is a Finnish citizen, has lived here half her life. We have a happy marriage,” he said. “I think Finns think it’s Putin’s war.”

More than 3,000 Russians live in Lappeenranta, many of whom came in the 1990s. Xenia’s parents have lived here for over 20 years, she herself went to Russia, but eventually returned to Finland.

She says Russians here are afraid of war, as are Finns.

“My classmate said, ‘What if we are also going to be bombed? But I hope they won’t be. I think the Finns are just as scared.’

Kimmo Järva says that they are not afraid, but preparing.

“Many people buy food for 72 hours. At the city level, we checked our bomb shelters, we prepared for possible hybrid attacks,” said the mayor.

He admits that Russians are less trusted in Finland today.

He himself, for example, supports joining NATO:

“A small country like Finland needs friends, especially when there is a war in Europe.”

At the same time, he is happy for Russian tourists. And the mayor of Lappeenranta does not see any contradictions here. He says that this is complete pragmatism.

As for the fears about the war with Russia, for the Finns it is not panic, but a historical experience.

Garik lives 200 meters from the Russian border. At the same time, according to him, he has no special attitude to the Russians. He also has no position on NATO.

“NATO is not my business,” he said.

“I don’t think Russia will cross the border. I think they still remember the Winter War.”

Finns’ confidence in their ability to defend the country is almost everywhere.

And due to the same Winter War. It has led to long-term neutrality in NATO membership, and to a sharp increase in support for the alliance among the country’s population.

The Winter War began in 1939, when the Soviet Union invaded Finland. As a result, the country lost a tenth of its territory, but withstood the pressure of the Red Army, despite the significant numerical advantage of the Russians.

In Finland, this is remembered at all levels: Garik is not afraid of war, despite the proximity of the border, and Mayor Lappeenranta works in an office overlooking the monument to Finnish soldiers who died during the Winter and World Wars.

Helsinki is also remembered for how Finland fought off the USSR.

“Finland has retained its independence, and in that sense it has been a victory,” says Finnish political scientist Tuomas Forsberg.

The Finns resisted so fiercely that, according to Professor Johan Aunesluom, the Soviet Union began to consider the full occupation of the country not worth the potential loss. “Instead, the Soviet Union decided to focus on Berlin and Central Europe, and gave Finland peace of mind,” says the historian.

However, as a result of World War II, Finland sided with the losers and came under the influence of the Soviet Union.

“The position of the USSR was very important in Finland’s domestic policy, says Johan Aunesluom.” The Soviet Union constantly made sure that Finland knew its place. For example, Finland could not even think of joining the EU before the collapse of the USSR.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Finland ceased to be its “satellite”, and in 1995 joined the EU, which was then understood as a guarantee of security.

The Baltic states and the Warsaw Pact countries, which were less fortunate during the Soviet era, have already announced that they will join NATO. Instead, Finland began to develop its armed forces.

“Finland has not given up conscription for obvious reasons. There are still doubts about Russia,” said Tuomas Forsberg. “After the end of the Cold War, Finland bought weapons at very good prices from those who wanted to get rid of them.”

All Finnish policy, according to the expert, was aimed at ensuring that the country retains the ability to cope with the crisis on its own. Yuso, who lives in Lappeenranta, is not the only Finn ready to fight.

More than a million Finns have military training, about 300,000 are officially enlisted in the reserve and meet periodically. Another 30,000 are professional army and conscripts who serve from six months to a year.

As a result, even with a population of 5.5 million, Finns are confident that they will repel any attack.

“The advantage of NATO membership is that we can receive military aid,” said Tuomas Forsberg. “But whatever aid Finland receives, we are not afraid to defend ourselves.”

The question arises: why do we need NATO? According to experts, the Finns were outraged by President Putin’s statements that NATO should end its open door policy.

“It is very important who decides,” says Johan Aunesluom. “It looks like Russia is trying to regain its sphere of influence along its border. And we have a border with them. , Finns, became uncomfortable. ”

Like most Finns, he was against joining NATO. But on February 24 everything changed.

“If Putin is able to go for it, what else can he do? And why, in that case, should he stop in Ukraine?” The historian said. “.

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