HOW TO CREATE THE "GREAT FINLAND"?
Part II. Encouraged by the example of Saakashvili, hot-brained Finnish lads arrange the war-like media games

Recently it turned out that Mikhail Saakashvili who launched the hoax of Russian attack to Georgia at the "Imedi" channel is not the only weirdo with the cranky ideas. On the 10th of March Finnish newspaper "Helsingin Sanomat" made a decision to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 in a very odd manner. There was a plan of war with Russia published in this newspaper. It’s said, at first Russian rocket will destroy Finnish television and radio broadcasting company center (YLE) in Helsinki. In return President would announce the complete mobilization; the evacuation of government bodies from the warfare area would take place. First air fights are to take place in the Helsinki sky, and the Russian "aggressors" will take their first casualties.

Continuation. Beginning is given here: http://www.win.ru/en/school/4152.phtml

Claims of the "Great Finns": Karelian territories and 30 billion euro into bargain

Since end of 1990s Finnish radicals established the tradition to put the flags of pre-war Finland up all over the country and nobody stops them. They call the 12th of March "The Day of Finland and Finnish nation unity". It’s just like every year celebrated Japanese "Day of the Northern territories". But, as opposed to Japan, where all the public authorities claim the return of the Southern Kurile Islands, the day doesn’t have official standing in Finland.

Nevertheless, we can’t dub the Finnish radicals marginal. According to the surveys, more than 40% of population support the claim to return the areas, lost in 1940. Former Parliament Chairman Riita Uosukainen and former Secretary of State Pertti Salolainen are among the supporters of claims to Russia. The latter actually announced that Russia will break into pieces by 2022 and right then Finland will get a chance to return everything that was lost after the Second World War.

Every year representatives of the nationalist organizations pass the documents substantiating the necessity to raising the question of recarving the borders to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliament of the country. Despite the constant protests of Russian diplomats, scandalous documents are accepted and even examined by the official body. And, although no authority claims followed it by the moment, the situation causes certain anxiety.

Probably, Finnish government is not in a hurry with the claims mostly thanks to the fact that they are aware: standards of live in Vyborg are much lower than commonly in Finland. According to the most conservative estimates, it would take 10 billion euro or 30% of the state budget to level Karelian Isthmus up to mid-Finnish standard. This is exactly what frightens the majority of Finnish population off by now and they don’t show any enthusiasm regarding the "Eastern onslaught".

However, in 2005 "Pro Karjala" organization decided to cope with economic difficulties as well. They published detailed "Plan of the frontier districts reform", which was signed by hundred thousand of citizens of 5-million-people country. There is detailed plan of where the money for standard of living equalization is to be taken from. For example, Russia is to repay Finland 4 billion euro (in conversion to today’s currency rate), that were paid to the USSR as the post-war reparations. And taking all the accumulated "pennies" into account, the amount of money is to make up about 30 billion.

Authors of the plan supposed that provision of new territories facilities will solve not only the problem of unemployment in the country but also will let the hundreds of thousands of Finno-Ugric citizens of Russia to move to Finland. It is supposed that in 10 years half a million workplaces will appear. Oil-loading terminals of Primorsk and Vysotsk ports will be awarded the status of foreign ventures in Finland. But the "Great Finns" forgot to mention what they were going to do with hundreds of thousands of Russians living in Vyborg and its environs. They could have probably decided that all the Russians would be willing to adopt the citizenship of prosperous Finland...

"Reformers" cynically proclaimed that it’s also would be profitable for Russia to turn the lost territories over to Finland. So to say, this is the way for the great eastern neighbor to get rid of numerous depressed districts. And further on: "Application of the accepted Finnish environmental standards will hold the pollution of Karelia and Ladoga Lake up and also improve the water supply of St. Petersburg". This is how it is — simple and unpretentious. Thankfully, President Halonen didn’t make any announcements concerning the support of the plan.

In 2006 Finnish lawyer Kari Silvennoinen suggested the idea of returning the property to descendants of the Finnish runaways from the Karelian Isthmus at the "Helsingin Sanomat" newspaper. He said that they should find the documents confirming their ancestors’ ownership of the land near Vyborg or Sortavala. Then they should seize the Russian courts, and if it doesn’t work — to the European instances. But mister lawyer forgot that there is no Restitution Act — stipulating the return of property to the former (before Soviet power accession) owners in — in Russia.

Persecution complex becomes contagious

Recently it turned out that Mikhail Saakashvili who launched the hoax of Russian attack to Georgia at the "Imedi" channel is not the only weirdo with the cranky ideas. On the 10th of March Finnish newspaper "Helsingin Sanomat" made a decision to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 in a very odd manner. There was a plan of war with Russia published in this newspaper. It’s said, at first Russian rocket will destroy Finnish television and radio broadcasting company center (YLE) in Helsinki. In return President would announce the complete mobilization; the evacuation of government bodies from the warfare area would take place. First air fights are to take place in the Helsinki sky, and the Russian "aggressors" will take their first casualties.

At the same time Russian overland units from the Karelian Isthmus will try to break closer to Helsinki but would be met with a rebuff. There will be no permanent front line because of Finns maneuvering. Given all this, Russian tanks would be able to use the uranium-depleted shells. But these tanks will be blown up by German Leopard rockets that the Finnish army would be armed with. However, Russian superiority will be great and Russia will be close to the victory. But then Finland is to get the international support, which would aggravate the aggressor’s situation of...

It’s unclear who and why had made this plan out. No one took the effort to explain, why Russia should attack Finland. Probably, one of those persons hanging up about the war of 1939-1940 defeat, decided to carry the situation of those years over today. Or maybe he just wanted to frighten the country with the Russian threat. One way or another, the loss of Karelian Isthmus and the number of other territories is not forgotten in Finland.

And sooner or later it can become an object of official claims to Russia — even in spite of the fact, that Finnish participation in the Second World war on Hitler’ side objectively cancel them.

By Vadim Truhachev