Finland Can Teach the World How to Stand Up to Russia
- Finland marks 100 years of its independence from Russia
- A bloody history of wars has Finland prepared for the worst
Buildings are seen on the skyline of Helsinki.
Photographer: Ville Mannikko/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The greatest achievement of Finland’s 100 years of independence? Survival.
What has largely been a distant threat to many countries in the West has been a matter of life and death in the northeastern corner of the European Union. For Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia, safeguarding its sovereignty remains the focus of policy makers, a century after the then-Grand Duchy of Russia declared its independence.