Last spring, Finland’s impulse to apply for NATO membership was significantly faster than Sweden’s. The explanation is Finland’s several wars with Russia throughout history, which still characterize the national self-image, even if today few of those who fought are still alive.
– You were constantly thinking about death and that you are the target of the next bullet. Anyone who has experienced such hell, you can’t wish that on anyone, says Karl-Erik Källström, 97, who in 1944 helped defend the island of Melansaari in the Bay of Viborg when Russia attacked during the Continuation War.
The war of aggression against Ukraine and the suffering of the people have touched Karl-Erik deeply. As a former pharmacist, last autumn he collected and sent medical supplies such as dressings and disinfectants.
He welcomes that Finland is now on its way into NATO, as a Swedish-speaker it warms him to do so together with the country on the other side of the Baltic Sea.
– One can only hope that through this alliance with NATO, that our countries will be protected from such misery for a long, long time.
In the player above: See the full interview with war veteran Karl-Erik Källström, 97.