The Russians thought the war would be over in a few weeks. In fact, they didn't expect much of a war. Just an invasion. Maybe a few battles. The military brass was reserved about the possibility of a quick strike and a quick end. But the politicians in Moscow were adamant. The Russians denied their obvious bombing of civilian cities, no matter what the pictures showed. They were just packages of humanitarian aid! So the locals, being bombed, sarcastically called the falling ordnance "bread baskets."
Outmanned and caught by surprise, and with little initial help from the outside, the nation being invaded not only held its own, but embarrassed the Red Army. Russia might have held air superiority, and far outnumbered the other side with the number of artillery units, but the underdogs held out, littering the roads with dead Soviet tanks.
Yes, Soviet tanks. If the above story sounds familiar these modern times, it should. But it's actually the story of The Winter War between the old USSR and Finland, circa 1939-1940.
The Fins and the Russians have been in wars before. Especially prickly was the ground around then-Leningrad, because the Russians have long wanted to push back Finnish territory from its former capital. Then there was the Russo-Swedish War, which was fought around the time of this nation's Revolutionary War. It seems the Russians have a hard time getting along with their neighbors.
Now Sweden and Finland want in NATO. And NATO seems to be in a welcoming mood.
Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine might have backfired. And that's good for the rest of the world.
The United States Senate voted overwhelmingly this past week to approve NATO membership for Finland and Sweden. The vote was 95-1, which is the kind of vote usually reserved for re-naming post offices. That this vote was so incredibly important, and not without risks, shows that the U.S. Congress can work just fine--on occasion.
Those who analyze these things say when Vlad the Impaler invaded Ukraine earlier this year, he did so in part to weaken the West and NATO, and show that the Russians still controlled that part of the world. And it turns out that his adventure has done the exact opposite.
In fact, if NATO can get Turkey and Hungary to agree, the defensive bloc may expand. And the Russians will have NATO much closer to home. NB: Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia.
Before the Russian invasion--that is, the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, to be specific--Sweden and Finland weren't all that interested in entangling alliances with foreign powers. But when a bully is on the block, knocking over smaller folks, or trying to, it concentrates the minds of others.
Sen. Tom Cotton, who lives around here, mentioned how prepared Sweden and Finland already are, militarily. The senator didn't seem to buy the claims that adding the two countries would over-stretch American firepower. In fact, dispatches from Washington say Senator Cotton--a military man--cited Finland's experience in patrolling its long border with Russia for all these years.
Finland and Sweden are "two of the strongest members of the alliance the minute they join," he said. And we agree with Captain/Senator Cotton. Sweden has committed to spending 2 percent of GDP on defense (a NATO goal of all countries in Europe) and Finland is expected to, according to NPR.
Even if Comrade Putin is able to pound Ukraine into submission under his constant barrage of artillery attacks--and that's a big if--his other goals seem to be out of reach now.
NATO isn't in retreat. And that makes the world safer.