"Enemy comes from east" thats what we think about russia

We in Poland know about Finland war with Russia - not long ago I have even read some articles about Your Winter War in a Polish newspaper. Best wishes from Poland to the Finnish people.

I heard this phrase as a child, and it still holds true today. "Nothing good comes from the east, even the sun flees to the west."

A large group of Russian soldiers in the border area in 1939 are moving down a road when they hear a voice call from behind a small hill: "One Finnish soldier is better than ten Russian". The Russian commander quickly orders 10 of his best men over the hill where Upon a gun-battle breaks out and continues for a few minutes, then silence. The voice once again calls out: "One Finn is better than one hundred Russian." Furious, the Russian commander sends his next best 100 troops over the hill and instantly a huge gun fight commences. After 10 minutes of battle, again Silence. The calm Finnish voice calls out again: "One Finn is better than one thousand Russians!" The enraged Russian commander musters 1000 fighters and sends them to the other side of the hill. Rifle fire, machine guns, grenades, rockets and cannon fire ring out as a terrible battle is fought... Then silence. Eventually one badly wounded Russian fighter crawls back over the hill and with his dying words tells his commander, "Don't send any more men...it's a trap. There's two of them."

It's not like Stalin just demanded some land. You just need to look at the Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia history to see what Stalin's demands really were. Once there was soviet military presence the next step was occupation and forcing the Baltic states to become soviet communist states. Finns were very aware of this threat.

One thing why Finland was so succesful was that hunting was really popular in Finland. Hunters, such as famous Simo Häyhä, basically used his hunting skills to hunt Soviets, by hiding in the terrain, patiently waiting for the prey to appear and by firing a shot that he won't miss. What made Simo a particularly good hunter was his unbelievable patience and accuracy.

Russia still hasn't got over its fear of having neighbours. Don't forget that Russia cooperated with Nazi Germany in the Ribbentrop Molotov pact and Germany had ceded that Russia could control Finland. Problem was it couldn't take Finland. You are right that this is very like what is happened with Russia in recent years. Not just with Ukraine, but also with Georgia and Chechnya.

Personally as a finn, Russia has always been the enemy. Of course not to extent that it would actively come across in daily life, but somewhere in the back of your head the thought has always existed. I mean I did my military service close to 20 years ago and who do you think we were training to defend against? The swedish or estonians? No, it was always clear that when looking for a possible invader, we should look to the east. The events of the past two years have just brought this dormant thought into the foreground. My grandfather fought in the winter war and got 4 pieces of shrapnel in his lungs as a parting gift from the front. So my generation is still well aware of the past.

What we finns think about Russia is.... yeah, that's a whole thing. Especially for those of us who, like me, have family who were evaquated from Karelia when the soviets attacked and never got to return. My grandmother grew up in Valkjärvi, which was as a municipality on the Karelina Isthmus known for plentiful fruit orchards. She was a daughter of a family with a long history of successful cart- and sleighwrights, quite wealthy for the area. Regardless, they were forced to leave their home and most of their belongings behind when she was 20 years old, and her family was split up during the evacuation process - adult children less important to keep together with the parents than the younger ones, the men joining the fight. None of her brothers survived the war and she never got to see her childhood home or even her home region again. There stories aren't uncommon. Plenty of people who were young during the war are still alive today, and their children and grandchildren definitely are. This isn't ancient history. It's still something that exists in memory. And what we think about Russia reflects that. Especially how Russia currently is... to some extent, it's part of the finnish culture to know it's never an "if" but a "when" in regards to Russia reaching beyond its borders with bloodied hands, so it didn't come as a surprise. It's more a case of... we knew the man-eating bear in the east was only sleeping, and now that it's awake, we do what we must, as we've prepared for the years since the last time. There's no joy in it, but neither are we unwilling. It is what it is. There's an enemy beyond the eastern border, and there always has been. The only difference is whether we're overt about that opinion or not.

Oh boy. How do we feel about Russia? There's a large can of worms you are opening, my friend. Russia is the reason why we have the kind of military preparedness that we do. Lot of inherited culture in Finland includes memories of the russian wars. Many families have karelian blood in them. Many lost someone in the war. 400 000 people lost their homes. Relationship towards Russia is something that has been gathering dust, but it is very much there, mostly unhealed. In architecture you can see the russian influence in Helsinki in particular. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has very many similarities. They even share the SAME propaganda stories - i saw one video from russia where a random russian woman was telling how ukranians are giving toys to russian children at the border and the toys have bombs in them and the children die or loose limbs. I gagged. This is the EXACT SAME STORY that was told about finnish soldier during ww2 in russia. But hey, a good story is a good story... Other than that - russia demanded land, finland refused - like ukraine. So russia tries to it take by force. They got their asses kicked, as they do in ukraine now. but it doesnt matter. There are so many russians to spare, that eventually finland had to agree on the terms and lost land - and i am afraid the same will happen to ukraine too, unless something unexpected happens. Check out the movie "Tuntematon Sotilas". There is a new version of it available. That movie is shown every year on our independence day.

One more thing ... The text in the end claimed that Finns had to ask for peace in September 1944 because otherwise the Red Army would have taken Finland. Not true. In June - Aug 1944 the Russian Army was again intercepted by the Finns, this time along the line Vyborg (Viipuri) Bay - Ihantala - Vuosalmi - Nietjärvi - Ilomantsi. Russian Divisions had by then become a spent force. In August 1944 the Finnish troops of General Raappana mauled two Russian Infantry Divisions in the wilderness battle of Ilomantsi. That was the last major battle in the Continuation War, and it made Stalin abandon his earlier demand for Finland’s unconditional surrender. Stalin's puppet president for Finland was never granted visa by the Finnish Government. He could never return to Finland even after 1944. If Stalin had beaten the Finnish Army, why did he not order the Finnish Government to let Mr. Kuusinen come to Finland? Because Stalin couldn’t beat the Finnish Army! It was the Soviet Army which was soundly beaten in summer 1944, not the Finnish Army. The war ended very differently from Stalin’s dreams although he of course gained some more Finnish ground again. But this was inevitable because Finland alone could not have stood endlessly against the Soviet Union. Anyway - no Soviet victory parade in Helsinki, no People's Republic of Finland either.

My dad's village Metsäpirtti in Karelian Isthmus was taken the 6th of december, 1939. Same day as Finland independence day. It was an underlaying pain within the family. They lost over 300 arches of land.

Soviet Union and Nazi-Germany were de facto allies in 1939. "The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that partitioned Eastern Europe between them. The pact was signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov.......... There was also a secret protocol to the pact, which was revealed only after Germany's defeat in 1945[99] although hints about its provisions had been leaked much earlier, so as to influence Lithuania.[100] According to the protocol, Romania, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland were divided into German and Soviet "spheres of influence".[99] In the north, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia were assigned to the Soviet sphere.[99] Poland was to be partitioned in the event of its "political rearrangement": the areas east of the Pisa, Narev, Vistula, and San Rivers would go to the Soviet Union, and Germany would occupy the west..............." 105 days of Winter War and the #Soviets lost 1,200-3,543 tanks, 261-515 aircraft. Total casualties were 321,000-381,000. A failed Austrian painter got some ideas of this #Soviet blunder.

When I was in the army, there was a saying "We have to be ready for everything, doesn't matter where from the east it comes..."

in fact "very few tanks" means less than 10 tanks in total, but only 1 (one!) was in battleready condition... meanwhile russia had thousands of tanks

Both of my mother's parents, both my grandmother and my grandfather, are from Karelia (both are already dead). Both of their families are from Karelia, Russia. They had to be evacuated and fought both the Winter War and the Continuation War (and the Positional War). My Grandfather was 17 years old when he had to go to the front. Both of them ALWAYS said: Never go to war. Keep friendship and trade, never go to war! Strive for peace, don't kill each other!! Don't go to war! Use diplomacy !! My grandparents told about the war, but preferably things that encourage humanity and friendship. A large number of Finns have family roots in Russia. War is a painful thing that no one wants. No revenge or anger either.

Contrary to the narrators words the Mainila shelling didnt have any casualties. Soviets shot a mortar shel or something similar to an empty field near Finnish border outpost and said Finland is attacking them.

You should watch the movie "Tuntematon sotilas " (Unknown Soldier) form 2017. It is about the continuation war in Finland and it is literally one of the best war movies ever made. There are 3 movies so make sure you watch the 2017 version. :)

Yes. The demands would not have ended there if they would have been accepted in the first place. The same thing kind of happened in Ukraine. First Crimea Then Donbass Now A fullblown war. The difference between the Ukraine-Russia war and the winter war is that Ukraine is actually receiving well needed equipment. And they have a much larger population to mobilize. It's kind of crazy to think that population of around 3.5 million with not much equipment could still hold against the Soviets.

not easy to be living next to Russia... I hope we are safe in Finland but with the neighbour like that... Slava Ukraina!

have you seen the movie unknown soldier (tuntematon sotilas 2017), it's a great description of a finnish soldier in the second world war.

On 1 December 1939, Soviet Union formed a puppet government for a state called Finnish Democratic Republic, to be headed by a Finnish exile communist Otto Wille Kuusinen. This puppet government was established in the part of Finnish Karelia occupied by the Soviets. Stalin wanted to get this puppet government in Helsinki and make Finland a communist vassal state. That plan did not work, because Finnish Army stopped the Soviet attack at Viipuri (Vyborg) level. After the war, the puppet government was absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1940.

My granparents had to leave their homes in Karelia. Since childhood listened the stories.

I am from Finland. My father's mother was from Vyborg (now Russian). My father was born 1903. He had his share of these wars. But he never had anything against Russian people. It has seldom been the people who are the enemy, but the ideologies and politics, in the modern warfare.

I must ask, though, why does a Scot living in Malaysia want to know so much about Finland. (Just asking for a friend...) :D

The Finns invented the Molotov cocktail, not the Russians.

IMO, Finns have never really trusted Russians. We have different culture, different way to see the world. You asked about remnants of Russian culture in Finland... we need to remember that Finland had extensive autonomy as the Grand Duchy of Russia so... Finns were never Russians: different culture, different language, different DNA...

On the Ukraine subject, on geopolitics and some history about Finnish-Russian relationship: "The Great Wrath (Isoviha)- The Time When Russia Committed Genocide in Finland | TheyTalk 193", "URALISTICA A short history of Ingria/Ingermanland", "Blitz Analysis The History of Finland and Russia - Part 1", "Blitz Analysis The History of Finland and Russia - Part 2" and "Kekkonens Nightmare". Also: " Lituae This is why the Baltic People will Never Forget the Russians", "finnfellow Karelia - Historical province of Finland" and "This Language in Russia is Going Extinct | Karelia".

Giving in 1939 would have went as it went for Estonia

At the height of the Winter War of 1940, Winston Churchill praised Finnish resistance to Stalin. He said: 'Sublime in the jaws of peril, Finland shows what free men can do. The service rendered by Finland to mankind is magnificent.

When you see Muumin in the winter forest you need to really fast think your last thoughts.

10.30 my grandpa was there. I have heard about these moments by those who heard granpa when he was very drunk.

Finland has always been part of the West. Never a part of Russia, even though we were under the Russian rule for a while. Russians have done a lot of bad things to Finns in history. So we have never looked at the East well. Sweden was also a great power at one time and we were also under them for a while in history. Our regional location was between these two great powers. Sweden and Russia fought over Finland numerous times and the Finns always suffered. That's why today we as a country are prepared for everything, and independence and the Finnish language mean a lot to us. The Finns have a really raw and cruel history and that's why we as a nation are quite reserved. Once you get to know us, however, we are actually a friendly and humorous bunch. The happiest people in the world.

My mom (1926-2024) having experienced the Russian assault suffering the years of Soviet attack, and her brother fallen against Russia 1944, not easy.

So much context is missing, independence manouvres, the Civil War, Molotov-Ribbentrop -pact, homefront... Continuation War, Lapland War, to have decent picture of the whole thing, there´s going to be a lot of watching/reading/listening to do. This video being 4 months old it could be that Mert Fin has checked out millions of videos. If not seen yet, maybe World War Two -channel, video number 015 - The Invasion of Finland - WW2 - 8 December 1939, and from there.

Thanks for your kind words about Finland's military historical bout against U.S.S.R.

As for me as 41 year old. It feels some wound has opened that never was there before. We thought wars was over but maybe not. My grandparents always said never trust russians and always keep eye in germans too.

At the meetings of the Nordic countries before the 2nd world war, the countries agreed on cooperation.. the north was said to be an area " not worth for any foreign power to hunt in ".LOL When the Soviet Union suddenly attacked Finland on Nov 30, 1939 (until March 13 ) the fear increased in Sweden and Sweden immediately declared itself neutral.. Prime Minister Ryti stated a few days before the end of the winter war that none of those who had signed up as volunteers had arrived. Of the total of 8,260 not 10,000 from Sweden as the propaganda says, some were in the vicinity of the Salla front and most of the casualties fell from the food line due to frostbite 130, other injuries 55 and 33 died after Soviet had located them and shot with artillery.When Mannerheim finally had called the swedish volunteers to action, the swedes protested and said that they are waiting for new winter coats, that had not arrived from sweden, to which M replied annoyed that our boys had participated straight away in only civilian shoes and clothes and , slammed the phone and mumbled something to the rest of the staff . In the continuation war, the swedish svrikompanie was at the Hanko area from where parts of Finnish troops were moved to the karjala front and the recapture plans of Hanko were dropped and both sides just watched and waited . In October 1941, the Russians found that it was not worth keeping Hanko and decided to leave the area. The reason was that the H base ended up too far from the fronts , troops were needed elsewhere and the Red Army's fleet had been weakened. so troops were evacuated to Leningrad. Last troops left Hanko on the night of 2-3 December 1941. Heavy artillery remained but was destroyed by the russians or the luftwaffe the first day of war. On the morning of December 3, the Finns found Hanko empty and came to an empty town during the day. That became the LOL swedish propaganda history conquest of Hanko. Of the 1,694 infantry company there, not much remained when swir was moved eastward, what remained was 404 at different times and as many as 9 men during the entire Continuation War and not 10,000. A Swedish volunteer had gone back home to Sweden and there trudged into the Soviet embassy with information about Finnish positions, which meant big finnish losses... how much the swe volunteering cost Fin on just that bravado. On one occasion 157,000 grenades came to Finland via/from Sweden but picked apart in two , and sent on separate occasions, the last load arrived the day before peace (deliberately) and grenades were not used, swedes were cunning they did not want to anger Stalin. Sweden were then a mediator during peace negotiations, which M afterwards cursed and said was a disaster. In addition, F had to pay huge damages to the attackering Soviet. Finnish people had to give away, near the end of war, their gold rings / wedding bands to sweden for ammunition and the goldring were replaced with ironrings....ammunition never came. LOL Reading in Swedish propaganda that the Swedish volunteer corps is completely unique in world history. LOL There were more volunteers from Estonia in the Continuation War (25 June 1941 - 19 September 1944) 3,273 killed 126, missing 72 and wounded 286, Ingermanland 777 of which 169 killed, Sweden 1,693 of which 79 killed, 3 missing and 203 wounded, after hanko 4 Dec 1941 until Sep 1944 there were 404 voluntary soldiers left, not 10,000..Norway just over 1000 who were recruited by Germany, 196 died. Denmark 18 fell..... Finnish volunteers fighting against Turks in 1877 war between Ottoman Empire and Russia : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z9SVm86ZrrXFXWQ.html Here is some ancient Finnish history that they do not want you to know. .... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g56laqyHmbOrl6c.html .... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/erlxa9aIsceZaKM.html

There is quite a difference in both culture and genetics between the western and eastern parts of Finland. We share the vast majority of the patriotic and anti-russian parts of the culture. But southwestern Finland has always been leaning more into Sweden, as the swedish rule was there for centuries before russian takeover in 1809. Turku was also the second largest city in Sweden, actually for centuries.

Check Combat Camera Showreel 2022 by the Finnish Defence Forces for some cool modern training footage

Mark Felton makes excellent videos.

People go beyoind belive when u are safeguarding your family and way of life. That's what have been in the mind of every defender. We knew of Stalins purges and ethnic cleansing like ways of his. Soviets first took over baltic states in part of molotov tribbentrop pact. That was great give a way that even if we would surrender some our areas or lense military bases here, they would just occupy us like they did in Estonia, Latvia and Liethuenia.

Movies Talvisota (Winter War from 1989) and Unknown Soldier, which was Continuation War (Tuntematonsotilas from 2017, 3 hour version) would be good to watch. Before Russian (1809-1917) we were part of Sweden 1250-1809. Word "Hakkapeliitat" comes from that time. Before that more and less Vikings.

What many dont know that up to 30% defence budget was wasted to build 2 coastal warships that were never needed.Partly beacuse of that Finnish troops fought whit opsolete stuff.

Like our one general said. We have soviet troops in Finnland. 6 feet under.

The offical sovjetrussian reason to demand finnish territory for the safety of Leningrad is not serious. Because Finnland with just 3.5 Million inhabitants simply was by far not able to threaten Leningrad. Image Lithuania would demand Belorussian territory because her capital is just 30 kilometers away from the border. Or France would demand German territory because her important city Strasburg is directly situated at the border.

you should do a reaction to the story of the man from 3 armies

History repeats itself.

Finland has never been part of the Russian culture, only occupied country. It was taken from Sweden after some lost war. Some buildings, like Churches, have Russian influence, but not much more. Finland have always have own language. There were some communists, like everywhere else, when the ideology started to rise, but communists never led the country. Small group of Russian friendly people have reminded for these days, but the numbers are in hundreds rather than thousands.Russia have always worked hard to have these people in every country, because to drive their interests, they need some things to be said.

between the winter war and the continuation war, some karelians returned to their ancestrial land, rebuilt, and then had to flee agaiin, not much later. I don't know my family history before ~1900, and if there are graves of ancestors, they are now in russia's land.

Culturally Finland is nordic. Finland and Sweden are culturally very close. As a finn I can say I don’t know much about russian culture.

There are no russians in finland, there never has been.

The fear in the Soviet Union of Germany wasn't exactly an excuse. Germany had already taken Czechoslovakia and Poland. Both Stalin and Hitler knew they were going to war. After the Finnish Civil War Finland had very close relationship with Germany. If Germany had broken the pact with the Soviet Union and brought troops to Finland, Finland couldn't (and maybe wouldn't) have prevent it while the Soviet Union threatened her.

Reason of war: Russia wanted secure Leningrad. Why the Hell russis then attacked north of Finland 1000 miles away from Leningrad! Maybe russia army were just lost 1000 miles, just normal navication error of russians like today in Ukraine. Security is obvious lie here. As it allways been in russian heratige.

Simo Häyhä was just average Finnish soldier. He didn't even get Mannerheim cross.

I cannot tell you my thoughts about this compared to U. The Internet does not allow that. It will be censored (has been many times already). - This was not the same thing that happened lately.

How do we feel 'bout Russia? As country: Never trust, always be vigilant. People: kind, warm, friendly, but can you trust... No.😂😂

Swedes we are not and russians we don`t want to become. So let us be Finns -J.V. Snellman

Russian is making same misstakes now in Ukreine. They have not learn a thing. They have Natofobia.

A Russian is still a Russian, even if you fry them in butter.

Go🇫🇮🇫🇮 💪 and Suomussalmi and Lapland 😂🎉

Finland did belong to Sweden until 1809, then to Russia 1809-1917.

We will not be russians, and we will not be swedish, let us be Finns.😂❤❤❤

My Grandparents generation hated russia deeply, mostly because both maternal and paternal grandparents had to flee Ingria as children. My parent's generation (Boomers) still carry a strong dislike towards russians. This dislike is still present today and increased significally after Russian invasion of Ukraine. I (26y) do dislike Russia and russian people, but am open minded to them. Maybe our family's dislike comes from the history, but also the fact that we live so close to Russian border and we've witnessed russian tourists all our lives and how they *badly* behave in our country even to this day. Now the russians that have fled russian after the invasion, start to settle in our hometown. In general opinion around here, their presence is not welcome, but tolerated.

Finland was not strong at all. The Soviets just sucked and Finland was defending which was way easier than attacking. And don't forget the weather conditions and the purge of the Soviet commanders. Finns today point at the winter war to give themselves an ego boost and nothing else. (My grandfather who fought in the winter war told me this)

nazi germany had a pact with ussr to invade Poland together...what they did. a minute in this video and it's bullshit. Literally soviets killed in. "The Katyn massacre is the name of a series of killings by the Soviet army during World War II. Members of the NKVD killed about 22,000 Polish prisoners of war in a forest near Katyn, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Smolensk. Most of the prisoners killed were officers. The Katyn massacre happened in April and May 1940. Stalin ordered it on Beria's advice."

Wrong. The Donbass and Luhgansk don't belong to The Ukraine.

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no one is as proud of their defeat in the war as the Finns!

Russian dont have eny knowledge of art of war