What Ukraine Can Learn From Finland’s Stand 80 Years Ago
The Winter War between the Finns and the Soviet Union has important parallels with the current conflict.
Skis and gas masks were part of the uniform for the Finns.
Photographer: Three Lions/Hulton Archive via Getty Images
In November 1939, soon after Hitler’s Germany invaded Poland, another massive European country likewise attacked a smaller neighbor: Russia invaded Finland. After vicious fighting through a long and bitter winter, the war ended with the Moscow Peace Treaty, in which Finnish concessions fell far short of what Stalin had hoped for in launching his invasion.
Despite being heavily outgunned and outmanned by the Soviet Army, the Finns were able to largely fight the Russians to a standstill in what they call the Winter War. The scenario was eerily similar to the situation unfolding today in Ukraine, where President Vladimir Putin’s Russia is facing ferocious resistance from the scrappy Ukrainians.