For Finland, a Border With Russia Is Bad. But It’s Better Than No Border at All

The Russian warplane comes in fast, its belly almost brushing the treetops to avoid detection. Passing over an open field, the pilot spots a young soldier and swerves toward him. As bullets whiz past, the soldier runs behind a barn. The pilot banks and tries again, and again, and again, but the soldier finds shelter first on one side of the barn and then the other with each pass. Finally, the pilot tires of the game and flies off, leaving the soldier thankful to be alive.

This isn’t Ukraine 2022. The chase took place in June 1944 in Karelia, an area of thick forests, clear lakes, and gentle hills that belonged to Finland until Soviet troops overran it in 1940, sparking a half-decade of fighting before the territory ultimately ended up under control of the USSR. And the soldier was Antero Pohjanpalo, my grandfather.