The former commander of the Defense Forces, General evp. Ari Puhelonen According to Russia, the minimum goal in Ukraine is to prevent the country’s NATO membership. To make this happen, Russia needs to take over Ukraine’s territory at least to some extent, says Puheloinen in ‘s morning on Thursday.
– By taking over the territories, Russia thinks that it will make the leadership of Ukraine submit to its will and political guidance. Of course, it is possible that Russia has broader goals, such as annexing the whole of Ukraine to Russia, adds Puheloinen.
The former commander of the defense forces is also an expert on Russia. Puheloinen has, among other things, studied in the Soviet army and served as Finland’s military representative in Moscow. Puhelonen’s memoir Sotilas ja työmie was published on Thursday.
Pulheloinen: The Russian armed forces are not capable of their tasks
According to Puhelonine, Russia’s attack on Ukraine was launched based on an incorrect strategic picture of the situation. As a result, the decision to attack was made, and now the country’s armed forces do not seem capable of their tasks.
– Russia has lost an important initiative in the war of aggression and had to change its strategy. Now we are in a situation where it is difficult to estimate how long the war will last. I can say that the head is not visible yet, says Puheloinen.
The military prowess of both sides has been misjudged
According to Puhelonine, misjudgments have also been made in the West regarding the military capabilities of both sides. On the one hand, Russia’s ability to attack has been overestimated, and on the other hand, Ukraine’s defense ability has been underestimated. A particularly big surprise for Puheloisen has been the poor cooperation ability of the Russian armed forces.
– Yes, I have been surprised by some aspects of the performance of the Russian armed forces, for example how they are able to combine the operations of the ground forces and the air forces, and how intelligence, the use of artillery fire, armored forces and others work together in the ground forces, says Puheloinen.
Military Lessons from the Ukrainian War: Drone Use and Missile Defense
Puheloinen says that one new thing in this war is the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
– I’m sure that everywhere in the armed forces will focus on how to organize and organize the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. On the other hand, you have to think about how to protect yourself from the effect that even these small aircraft have. This weapon effect of small drones has been something of a surprise, states Puheloinen.
Another lesson of war is the importance of missile defense. Russia has continuously launched large-scale missile attacks on Ukraine.
– At last in this war, anti-missile defense and missile defense have become an essential part of modern defense, says Puheloinen.
Finland’s defense capability is not sufficient for the future, Puheloinen estimates
According to Puheloinen, Finland now also needs to develop its missile defense. The military alliance gives a better chance for this than before.
– We have a significant defensive ability, but on the other hand, it is not sufficient for the future. This conclusion has been reached when significantly more money has been directed specifically to repairing our defense material side, says Puheloinen
At the time of Puhelonen, the defense forces had to save and make reductions.
– This raises the question of what is the connection between this need for additional funding and the fact that ten percent was cut from the defense budget at the beginning of the last decade. I would guess that a significant part of this additional funding stems from the shortfall that remained in our defense funding in the 2010s. I said in public then that if the defense forces get even smaller, the whole of Finland will not be able to be defended, says Puheloinen.
Watch the whole conversation in ‘s morning: