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Finland was under the rule of the Russian Tsar from 1809-1917. I think they have plenty reason to be wary.
You need to follow the line, the "train of thought" here - why Finland ended up as part of Russia to begin with.
The reason it happened was because Russia was fighting with Sweden for the access to the Baltic Sea at that point in time. Russia won, Sweden lost. Finland at that point in time used to be Swedish colony, which became a concession to Russian victory.
After St. Petersburg was established as a major Russian port on Baltic Sea, this whole issue of Baltic access became less important. Hence when Finland was gone after the 1917, it was not a big deal from strategic point of view. As long as Russia is not threatened as it was at the verge of the WWII, there is no sense for Russians to claim Finnish territories.
You don't get to become by far the largest country in the world without being tough and aggressive....which Russians have consistently been both. I worked in Moscow for about 6 months and I came away with the opinion that I wouldn't want to do business or work in Russia in the future ever again. They are a natural trading partner with Germany and other Euro countries and they have oil and gas Europe needs though....just not going to be easy. Not saying that we (USA) are faultless as we have placed sanctions that I'm not sure was the right thing to do either.
Finland has benefitted greatly from trade with Russia but I would be nervous with a neighbor like that. Canada is a great neighbor and Mexico is very tolerable in comparison.
You need to follow the line, the "train of thought" here - why Finland ended up as part of Russia to begin with.
The reason it happened was because Russia was fighting with Sweden for the access to the Baltic Sea at that point in time. Russia won, Sweden lost. Finland at that point in time used to be Swedish colony, which became a concession to Russian victory.
After St. Petersburg was established as a major Russian port on Baltic Sea, this whole issue of Baltic access became less important. Hence when Finland was gone after the 1917, it was not a big deal from strategic point of view. As long as Russia is not threatened as it was at the verge of the WWII, there is no sense for Russians to claim Finnish territories.
Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703. The Great Northern War ended in 1721. Finland was annexed by Russia in 1809. The Soviets invaded it in 1939.
I don't think your "train of thought" goes in the direction you think it does.
Some of my relatives or friends in finland are pissed off, some don't care and some are afraid.. I guess like any other country. Some has russian friends, some are travelling, some cannot stand the whole folks.
I saw this description of various countries....'America is a noisy culture, unlike, say, Finland, which values silence. Individualism, dominant in the U.S. and Germany, promotes the direct, fast-paced style of communication associated with extraversion. Collectivistic societies, such as those in East Asia, value privacy and restraint, qualities more characteristic of introverts'
The thing I like about Finland is that 'silence'. I realize I am on the outside looking in but it would appear they have have a facility for knowing when to open up their mouths and when to keep quiet. They appear to be a good judge of their entire environment both inside and outside the country.
Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703. The Great Northern War ended in 1721. Finland was annexed by Russia in 1809. The Soviets invaded it in 1939.
I don't think your "train of thought" goes in the direction you think it does.
No-no, my train of thought goes into the right direction.
During the Great Northern War Peter the Great captured (then) fortress Nienskans and soon replaced it with Peter and Paul fortress. As I've mentioned, he was looking for the ways to get a better seaport than Archangelsk, that was freezing during the winter time ( you can read about it here
The war with Sweden went on after that - it's true, and Finland was still Swedish territory.
The main reason Russia wanted that territory was precisely that -
"Although most Swedish officers were skeptical about their chances in fighting the larger and more experienced Russian army, Gustav Adolf had an unrealistic view of Sweden's ability to defend itself against Russia. In Saint Petersburg, his stubbornness was viewed as a convenient pretext to occupy Finland, thus pushing the Russo-Swedish frontier considerably to the west of the Russian capital and safeguarding it in case of any future hostilities between the two powers."
In 1939 Russia invaded Finland yet again for her own security reasons. Since Russian generals could predict the potential danger for St. Petersburg, they tried to negotiate the territory they deemed important from strategic point of view, vital for protection of the city. But Finland declined and that's why Russian invasion followed.
But as long as Russia was not in any danger in the twenties of previous century and early thirties, Finland was not touched.
I like that there's cheap vodka just across the border.
So current relations are like good??
Has Putin or your president/prime minister had any visits recently??
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