report
Status: 05/17/2022 3:34 p.m
Finland’s long border with Russia has been a mostly quiet area in recent years. Now the country wants to join NATO. How do people react to this?
The road, which leads to the Russian border a few meters away, is not paved. There are hardly any cars on the road here, only a few ornithologists point their binoculars at the roadside in search of birds.
Eighty-two-year-old Irma Koskela lives here, south of the Finnish-Russian border in the Kymenlaakso region, in a small wooden house by the river, right next to her son’s farm. On the other side of the river is Russia. Both buildings are in the restricted area. Every few meters there are large yellow signs along the road: “From here, access only with permission”. For the 82-year-old, this has been everyday life for many years.
The Cold War was different
It’s good to live here, she says. When she got married and moved here from the neighboring town, shots were fired every day. And then there were the searchlights that shone around.
It was the time after the Second World War – some military exercises were held on the Soviet side at that time. In the meantime, however, it is very quiet there, says Koskela, who is wearing a colorful tracksuit and a fleece hat. It radiates so much calm and happiness – you can easily forget that you are in a place that is currently the focus of security policy debates.
But, she says, something has changed since the Ukraine war. Suddenly more border guards were on the Finnish side – by car and by helicopter. The border is well guarded. The border guards used to come twice a day, but now they come more often.
Irma Koskela lives in the border area between Finland and Russia. She takes a positive view of the planned NATO membership.
Image: ARD Studio Stockholm
Be vigilant around the transitions
No one should cross the border illegally here. The area near border crossings is considered to be particularly endangered, a border guard later explained. The nearest crossing is only a 15 minute drive away. Here the road is wide again, has multiple lanes and is in good condition. This section is also almost deserted; the huge border crossing appears almost out of nowhere.
Only occasionally do a few cars come, which are checked by Jari Hutton and his colleagues. Yes, it’s pretty quiet, says Huttonen, mainly because of the corona restrictions. Since then, traffic has decreased by 70 percent. The car of a young family with a baby is okay, the papers too, they are allowed to drive on.
A few cars still pass, and there are hardly any queues in front of the border guards’ counters. Truck? none. Since the sanctions against Russia, these have stayed away. Not much else has changed since then, according to the border guard. And it’s part of her job to always be prepared. And there is always a national readiness.
Huttonen doesn’t want to let his cards be looked at – even when asked several times how the threats from Russia are to be dealt with, for example, he repeats this answer: As always, we are prepared.
The way to NATO
A country’s path to NATO can only be taken step by step: First, the candidate country has to officially register its interest in Brussels. This is expected from Finland and Sweden in the next few days. Allianz then checks whether the applicants meet the requirements.
Namely, new NATO members must be European countries and democracies that treat minorities fairly, support peaceful conflict resolution and have both the will and the ability to engage militarily in the alliance.
If that is the case and all NATO countries say “yes”, the candidates will be invited to formal accession talks. In the end, all 30 member countries must also agree to NATO expansion, in this case to the north. In Germany, the Bundestag decides on this.
By Stephan Ueberbach, ARD Studio Brussels
Buses replace flights
Then a large tour bus from Russia rolls up. About 20 people get out, their passports in hand. Many of them have dual citizenship or own a house in Finland, so they can enter.
Since there have been no more flights, the bus to Helsinki has become the only option for some to get to Europe. For example for Marius, a smartly dressed man in his 40s. His destination is London – a journey that previously took him two and a half hours by plane from Moscow. Now he needs a day. Marius, who does not want to reveal his last name, was born in Russia but has lived in London for many years. He knows both countries, has friends and family in both places and commutes regularly.
He can only shake his head at Finland’s planned entry into NATO: it’s an unfortunate situation. The world has become smaller – partly because of capitalism – and now we’re taking a step backwards. You should de-escalate right now – no, that’s “not the best decision”. Checking his papers is quick. Everyone is already back on the bus heading towards Helsinki.
Marius commutes between Saint Petersburg and London – the journey used to take a few hours, now it takes a whole day.
Image: ARD Studio Stockholm
“Everything always went well”
Irma Koskela is in favor of Finland’s planned NATO membership: That’s a good thing, says the pensioner from the village in the middle of the forest, two hours from Helsinki.
Then she turns onto the path that leads to her house, but you are no longer allowed to follow her: Koskele says you are not allowed to go to the river without permission. She waves again and goes home.
Even though Irma Koskela can see the border with Russia out the window, she says she’s not afraid. She has lived here for 60 years – and everything has always gone well.