Defense Forces | “It feels really good” – Ivan Ermak, who moved from Moscow to Finland, started his military service in Santahamina today

Russian the attack on Ukraine will not have a major impact on the training of conscripts. This is what the spokesman for the Kaarti Jääkärirykmenti says Lotta Laaksonen.

The summer rookie batch entered Santahamina’s service on Monday. About 760 rookies marched through the gates for the first time.

“Rookies are accepted according to the same principles as before, and there have been no changes to training or exercises. There is no immediate threat to Finland and the situation in Finland’s neighboring regions is calm,” says Laaksonen.

Laaksonen considers the only clear change to be the increase in joint exercises with international forces. On an annual basis, international training and training activities return to the pre-corona level.

On Monday the incoming batch that entered service is the first to be launched by the military since Russia began hostilities in Ukraine.

However, the recruits met at the gates of Santahamina were mostly of the opinion that the attack has not had a major impact on attitudes about the service.

“I have thought about the situation in Ukraine and its effect on my own service, but it has not made me hesitate to do military service”, the person starting voluntary military service Amna Al-Rahalsays.

The Helsinki native was on the same lines Tapio Hirvonen.

“I don’t think the war in Ukraine will affect my own situation in any way. Yes, I am going to defend Finland if the situation calls for it.”

The new ones the recruits did not seem to perceive Russia as threatening or frightening in terms of Finland’s security. Instead, the eastern neighbor was described as worrying and unpredictable.

Instead of fear, the situation in Ukraine seems to have only raised the national defense motivation of young people starting their military service.

“Yes, the war in Ukraine has slightly increased our will to defend our country. If a war broke out here, I would definitely be going to defend Finland, being from Helsinki Pihla Iso-oja tells.

During the spring, Finland’s security policy experienced a historic change, when Finland decided to apply to become a member of the defense alliance NATO.

Fresh conscripts did not seem to have very strong feelings for or against NATO membership, but as a rule the government’s decision to apply for membership was considered a good thing.

“Yes, it’s quite good. For example, the US troops were just here training and you can certainly learn a lot from them”, the 19-year-old Emil Ekholm says.

However, some hoped that applying for NATO membership would not worsen relations between Russia and Western countries too much, and that it would not lead to the escalation of various conflicts.

Santahmina Among the recruits who arrived on Monday morning, there was a little excitement throughout about what awaits them on the other side of the garrison gates, but the majority said that they enter the service with a positive attitude.

“The situation is a bit stressful, but in a positive way. My mother is admittedly a bit worried,” said the 20-year-old from Helsinki Axis Brotherus states.

On Monday, someone who moved to Finland nine years ago from Moscow also started his service Ivan Ermak.

“Entering the service feels really good. Today I am a citizen of Finland and I have to do my military service here.”

Ermak says that he hopes that the relationship between the old and the new homeland will remain peaceful. He says that he does not believe that a conflict will break out.