now is the best time to join NATO, Russia will not be able to prevent it

Russia has warned Finland of a backlash if the government decides to apply for NATO membership. The country’s political leadership has repeatedly demanded that the military alliance not expand eastward.

We asked those who had fled the war in Ukraine to Finland what they thought about the security situation in Finland and NATO’s intentions. The interviews were conducted this week in Helsinki.

Natalia Zaporozhets describes Finland in one word, and it is: safe. He has fled the war from Kherson, which was conquered by Russia at the turn of March.

Although Finland has 1,300 kilometers of common border with Russia, which has proved aggressive, Zaporozhets is not worried.

– Compared to where I come from, this is a really safe place. I believe peace will continue.

Zaporozhets says that right now Finland would be able to apply for NATO membership without fears of a Russian reaction.

– Russia is now at war in Ukraine, and it does not have enough money for the other front.

Still early Lubomir Nykolyn could not fear war. He has considered Russia a brother nation of Ukraine, and has therefore not even wanted to think that an attack would be possible.

Now his perception has changed, and he believes the war could, in the worst case, extend to other countries. In this situation, he thinks that NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security situation.

– If Finland is left alone, Russia could attack the country in the same way as it did in Ukraine.

However, Nykolyn thinks that the war with Finland right now would be too big for the Russian armed forces, and therefore the time for a NATO application could be good.

Oleg Riabchenko was on holiday with his family in Turkey at the start of the attack. Moreover, they have not visited their home near Kiev, but came to Finland directly from their holiday trip in their own car.

Oleg thinks that now would be a really good time for Finland’s NATO membership.

– Since Russian forces are tied to Ukraine, now is a good time to apply.

He already considers Finland safe today, but believes that NATO membership will bring more security. Oleg is currently looking for a job as a carpenter or electrician, and plans to be in Finland until peace returns.

Nadiia Trebunskikh36 and Mira Trebunskikh, 13, arrived in Finland on May Day. Last week they were to travel to the Kemijärvi reception center, but then something unexpected happened.

The mother and daughter asked a stranger in the center of Helsinki for directions to the bus station. The woman unexpectedly offered her guest room in the city center as a place to stay, and the same evening they settled there.

– This kind person saved us from the Arctic Circle and Lake Kemijärvi, Nadiia Trebunskikh says with a laugh.

Nadiia and Mira Trebunskikh feel safe here.

– Finland is a strong country that can protect its own people, says Mira Trebunskikh.

– NATO membership would further increase security, Nadiia adds.

Krystyna Vilkhovyk has lived in Finland for more than two months with his mother and sister. The father is still in Kharkov, and Vilkhovyk plans to return there as soon as possible.

He reads war news from the Telegram. Now, according to him, many groups are speculating that Russia could react aggressively to Finland’s NATO application. Vilkhovyk himself does not believe that anything bad could follow.

– If the Finnish government thinks that NATO membership is the best for the country’s security, it is certainly appropriate to apply for it. It is Finland’s own decision, and Russia has no right to cross the border.

You can discuss the topic on 12.5. until 11 p.m.