[…] The longest serving Soviet commander of the KGB Border guards (1972-89) Army General Vadim Matrosov is still remembered in Finland. He had served during the war on the Finnish front and knew us well. He succinctly characterized the front as the barometer of our relations.
As we know, a barometer falling rapidly predicts a storm. It is to early to say if Moscow is creating a perfect storm in its relations with Finland, but the signs are ominous. Of course, there is not just a Russian flag on the other side. But do we any longer have a partner? […]
The full-scale Russian propaganda assault tells us that the hostile move against Finland is a political decision. In a situation where relations between Finland and Russia have been reduced to bare technical contacts at the border and scant links with the embassies the situation looks dire and difficult to predict. Although we have not yet seen attempts to traverse the land border outside the crossing points the barometer continues falling. The shutting of the entire border cannot be excluded, it looks rather likely. The closure could also suite Russia that is anyway isolating itself. A closed border seems like an anomaly, especially because we got used to an open border. But an open border is an exception in Russian history. Läs artikel