Just a few days after the Finnish Defence Minister gave his speech in USA, stating that Russia is the major security challenge for Finland, Russians proved him right: an Ilyushin IL-76 strategic airlifter of the Russian Armed Forces violated the Finnish airspace. - One just can not imagine any other state having their airplanes flying unauthorized in the Finnish airspace.
Ilyushin IL-76 on the Antarctic in 2003.Photo by Mika Kalakoski.
The plane flew 4,5 km deep on Finnish territory, for a few minutes. A Boeing F-18 Hornet of the Finnish Air Force was sent out to guide it back to the international airspace. The incident was instantly reported an accident, and Russia has promised to investigate it.
Russian planes frequented Finnish airspace in 2005 until Finland sent a note to Russia, informing that from thereon all violations would be published internationally.
Russia is now living a phase of new bullying, and Russians have themselves admitted that Russian negotiation strategy is to intimidate. If the opposite party is easily scared, they will only be despised. But if they show some backbone, they might even earn some respect from the Russians. - This is something that the Finns have never really understood.
The Finnish Prime Minister has a bad habit of trying to keep unfinished business under cover, even though Finland officially is an open country, where discussion should supposedly be valued. He has now expressed his futile hope that no connection should be made between the Defence Minister's speech, and the airspace violation. He shows no understanding of the Russian character, or even of the Finnish character. And has he really forgotten that the former violations got stopped only after the note from the Finnish government?
But have you thought about this: If it is not the Russian government that allows airspace violations when 'needed', who is it then? Are the Russian Armed Forces perhaps not in the control of the Russian government after all?
No comments:
Post a Comment