Europe is as nervous and scared as it has not been in decades. This is especially true for the countries in the east, which either border Russia or Belarus, or are immediate neighbors of Ukraine. How prepared are they to defend themselves in the event of a new Russian aggression? This question is analyzed by the German "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (ZT), which reviews the current situation in the countries on NATO's eastern flank - from Finland to the Baltic states to Romania.
Finland relies mainly on its own forces
In Sweden, Finland and Norway, citizens receive information brochures on emergency situations. In a recent survey, 53 percent of Swedes said they would be willing to fight for their country if war broke out. By comparison, only 41 percent in the United States and 23 percent in Germany said they would be willing to defend their country. In Finland, which shares a 1,330-kilometer border with Russia, 78 percent of respondents said they would be willing to defend their country, the German newspaper reported.
Since the Soviet Union invaded in the winter of 1939/1940, when no other country came to its aid, Finland has followed the doctrine that it must be able to defend itself. The country has not disarmed since the end of the Cold War and now has the most powerful artillery of any European NATO partner after Turkey, and in recent years has purchased 64 F-35 fighter jets from the United States. Even before joining NATO in 2023, Finland was already spending more than two percent of its GDP on defense.
Although the Finnish armed forces have only 24,000 active soldiers, they have one of the largest reserve armies in Europe: 900,000 of the nearly 5.5 million inhabitants are registered as reservists, of which 28,000,000 can be mobilized very quickly, according to the ZC. There are also bunkers for almost the entire population. In addition, in recent years, Finland has taken the toughest position of all European countries towards its eastern neighbor Russia: when migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia appeared at Finnish border crossings in the fall of 2023, Finland closed all crossings and passed a law allowing them to be turned back, even though this contradicted EU regulations. Over the past two years, the border has been strengthened with fences and motion detectors, and now the use of anti-personnel mines is even being discussed, reports the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".
The differences between the Baltic countries, Poland and Slovakia
In the Baltic countries, people feel protected only because they are part of NATO. With their small populations (about 6.1 million people), Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will have to defend a significant territory - approximately half the size of Germany. In this regard, the ZC recalls that the Baltic states have recently significantly increased their defense spending: in the coming years they want to invest between three and six percent of GDP for this purpose. The population and politicians approve of these expenditures, although they are accumulating significant debt. The Baltic countries and Poland also attach great importance to military training of broad segments of the population, the publication also says.
The Polish army now exceeds 200,000 people, and its number is about to increase by another 100,000 soldiers. Voluntary military training days are very popular among both men and women in Poland, and military training classes are part of the curriculum in Polish schools. The defense budget this year amounts to 4.7 percent of GDP and is expected to grow further.
The situation is different in Slovakia, whose Prime Minister Robert Fico blames NATO and the West for the war in Ukraine. And although protests against his closeness to Russia are intensifying, Fico also has staunch supporters. Some historians attribute this attachment to Russia in part to the long period of Hungarian rule, and many now see Pan-Slavism and Russia as a guarantee of the country's independence. Above all, however, Moscow massively influences public opinion with fake news and troll networks. Almost 50 percent of Slovaks get their information primarily from Facebook, and it is on social networks that disinformation flourishes, the ZC points out.
Insecurity is particularly high in Romania
The Old Continent must be defended most effectively in its southeastern part. The Mihai Kogalniceanu air base in Romania is currently being built with runways, fuel depots and buildings for 10,000 soldiers, and by 2030 it should become the largest NATO base in Europe. Last summer, the United States transferred two B-52 long-range bombers there.
The German publication also points out the main reasons why a NATO base of such a scale is being built in Southeast Europe: first, the proximity to the Black Sea, which after the Russian attack on Ukraine has already become an arena of combat operations, and second, Romania has always been considered the most reliable partner among the countries bordering the Black Sea - both to the EU and to NATO. That is why its security has a high price, comments the ZC. The expansion of "Mihai Kogalniceanu" is being paid for by Romania, which in 2024 spent 2.25 percent of its GDP on defense.
In Romania, uncertainty regarding the global situation is widespread. The country is strongly affected by the war in Ukraine: drones repeatedly enter Romanian territory; grain shipments from Ukraine pass through the port of Constanta, and Romania provides enormous support to Ukraine, although the nature and amount of the aid are kept secret.
Fear of Russia is historically conditioned in Romania, says security expert Armand Gossu of the University of Bucharest. The feeling that the country was assigned to the wrong half of the world in the geopolitical division after 1945 is a national trauma, he tells the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".