Finland says there are problems with NATO troop deployment

Finnish Lapland is not ready for the deployment of NATO troops. Finnish broadcaster Yle reported on November 20.

"Lapland's roads, bridges and railroads are either in poor condition or lack infrastructure in important areas. In terms of security of supply, bad roads pose a risk because without access roads, people will be left without food, medicine, fuel and other vital imports during a possible crisis," the publication said.

According to the piece, the necessary projects to improve roads, bridges and infrastructure could require billions of euros. According to the director of the Regional Council of Lapland, the money should be collected from "our own pockets" or through European Union (EU) programs.

It is noted that Finland, as a new NATO member, could possibly receive funding from the alliance, but decisions on budget allocation would be up to NATO.

Lapland is the northernmost province of Finland, mostly above the Arctic Circle. It has an extremely small population, so the infrastructure is either very underdeveloped or absent altogether,Gazeta.Ruadds.

Earlier, on November 12, Professor Tuomas Melinen of the University of Helsinki noted that Finland's accession to NATO turned out to be the worst geopolitical decision in Europe for 79 years. In addition, he called for the withdrawal of the U.S. military contingent from Finnish territory.

Before that, on October 28, retired military expert Colonel Anatoly Matviychuk said that NATO's Lightning Strike 24 exercise, which will be held in November in Finland, is necessary for the North Atlantic Alliance to push Russia out of the Arctic. He emphasized that NATO is using the territories of Norway, Finland and Sweden to strengthen its base and deploy capabilities that should help in deterring Russia.

In late September, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said that the city of Mikkeli, which is close to the Russian-Finnish border, would host the headquarters of NATO's ground forces in Northern Europe. He noted that the deployment of troops "is in no way a hostile action or confrontation."

Finland officially became the bloc's 31st member on April 4, 2023.