Russian attack | Foreign Minister Haavisto: Humiliation is taking place, and Putin must react

Policy|Russian invasion

Russian president Vladimir Putin gave a speech in the Kremlin on Friday, which after he signed the documents on the forced annexation of four Ukrainian provinces, i.e. Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, to Russia.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto (vihr) strongly criticized Russia’s actions. Haavisto considers them reprehensible and against international law.

“Exactly what has been expected for some time is happening. Russia declares the territories it has conquered as its own. It makes it difficult to find peace in the situation in Ukraine,” Haavisto tells HS.

The Foreign and Security Policy Ministerial Committee of the President of the Republic and the Government Council condemned Russia’s actions on Friday afternoon in the bulletin. The European Union and the military alliance NATO also immediately condemned the annexation of the territories as illegal.

I don’t hurt according to Putin’s speech and the apparent annexation of Ukrainian territories to Russia are a kind of turning point in the war in Ukraine.

“When the dates of this war are written down sometime in the future, this day will be seen as a kind of turning point. Having lived through this time, the event was not a surprise, but this day will go down in the history books.”

Haavisto says that he is now waiting to see how Russia’s latest actions will be received more widely in the world.

“If these kinds of conquests and staged referendums were the usual style, there would be complete chaos at the borders of the countries. Last week I met with representatives of Central Asian countries. The countries of the former Soviet Union have a very strong attitude towards this kind of activity, where Russia expands its own sphere of influence through violence.”

Haavisto estimates that by annexing the provinces to itself, Russia is trying to increase the deterrence of possible countermeasures.

“Russia is probably trying to convey that every attack on these areas is an attack on Russian soil, and could justify even tougher countermeasures based on that. Despite the fact that the land has actually been stolen from Ukraine.”

Read more: Putin’s declaration made the situation more dangerous, the credibility of threatening nuclear weapons fades without use, researchers estimate

Russia has hardened his rhetoric even more in recent weeks. Putin has hinted, among other things, about his country’s nuclear weapons on several different occasions, most recently in his speech on Friday. The tightening of the situation is also partly indicated by Russia’s “partial motion launch” announced last week.

According to Haavisto, Russia has already experienced two bitter surprises in the war in Ukraine. According to him, the first surprise was how strongly Ukraine defended its capital Kyiv at the beginning of the war.

Another surprise has happened in recent weeks. Ukraine has managed to take back significant land areas from Russia in eastern Ukraine.

“These setbacks probably explain Putin’s hardened statements. Humiliation is happening, and Putin has to react.”

Haavisto interprets the events of the last few weeks, such as Russia’s motion and messages, precisely in this light.

“Many Russians may have supported the war, but so far it has been far from the everyday life of many Russians. Now, as a result of the motion, the war is directed at ordinary people in civilian operations.”

Major some of Putin’s Friday speech and Russia’s messages in recent weeks have been aimed at the wider West instead of Ukraine.

What does this mean for Finland?

“Baltic Sea events this week brought the conflict closer to us. When the war drags on, it can mean different activities taking place in the gray zone, such as influencing information or other surprising attempts to influence our and other Western Europeans’ daily lives.”