Finland and Sweden increase military aid to Ukraine ahead of winter

In part of Ukraine, the first snow has already fallen this year.

It turns thick, wet autumn mud, whipped up by boots, tracks and tires, into an icy morass that inevitably seeps through the clothes and into the bones of soldiers ill-prepared for the changing seasons.

In Finland and Sweden, the military knows a thing or two about fighting in extreme cold weather and how to deal with the elements. And with an eye on the weather, the two Scandinavian countries have announced their biggest military aid packages to Ukraine to date.

“It is important that we continue to support Ukraine and provide it with the means to end the war,” he said. Antti KaikkonenMinister of Defense of Finland.

“Ukraine is fighting and defending its independence and freedom, it is right to help Ukraine in this situation. That is why Finland and most European countries are helping,” he said in an interview with Euronews.

Tenth – and last – Finnish defense package estimated at 55.6 million euros, bringing the total cost of all defense materials destined for Ukraine since the start of the war to 160.4 million euros.

The Finns are notoriously tight-lipped about what exactly they provide — “this is for security and operational security reasons,” Kaikkonen said — but the minister does explain the process a bit more.

“We receive a list from Ukraine and consult with them when we collect these packages. Of course, at the same time we tell them that we have this and that that we could donate. packages,” he said.

While some countries have been more open about what weapons systems they have donated to Ukraine, the Finns see no need to tell the Russians what they are supplying.

“It’s the Finnish way of keeping quiet,” Kaikkonen said.

“We have two principles in our assistance: we give what Ukraine needs, and we give what can be given without weakening our own defenses.”

He gives only one small but important hint: “We took into account that winter is coming.”

So, what kind of winter equipment can Finland supply to Ukraine?

The Finnish government and military may not be exactly an open book when it comes to the information they provide to Ukraine, but there are some clear and valid conclusions to be drawn.

Open source intelligence analyst and military historian Emil Castehelmi says Finland will probably send basic winter gear, but nothing too expensive, “because of course Finland still has its own geopolitical threats, which turned out to be the same as Ukraine.”

“From various sources, I understood that both Ukraine and Russia lack proper winter equipment, such as warm underwear and winter camouflage suits, and Finnish camouflage suits are really good. too much.”

Another important piece of equipment is tents with stoves that can be stoked in winter: soldiers can keep warm and hang wet clothes to dry while they sleep.

“Now in Ukraine in the northern regions there is already snow, and around it is a mixture of snow, mud and slush. must dry out in order to fight effectively for weeks or months.”

Castehelmi says a stove tent or warm dry socks, thermal underwear and camouflage uniforms may seem like simple gear, but it’s “highly likely” that neither Ukraine nor Russia has the means to supply all of their troops with basic gear like this.

Finnish winter equipment from crowdsourcing is sent to Ukraine

Government-level official military aid from Finland is not the only aid flowing from north to south, with a number of groups working to fill the equipment supply gap.

One of these organizations is Your Finnish friendswhich handled requests mainly for protective equipment such as ballistic helmets and body armor requested by Finnish volunteers in Ukraine, and also sent any surplus to the Ukrainian army.

“For example, thermal imaging cameras are in high demand right now, when there are dark winter nights. The fighters are also asking for Savotta backpacks, Peltor headphones and helmet attachments,” said Kasper Cannosto, president of the charity, who also studies peace, meditation and conflict. research at Åbo Akademi in southwestern Finland.

“For winter use, we purchased special woolen socks, heating pads, military winter jackets and pants, winter sleeping bags, wrist warmers and winter gloves for operational use,” he told Euronews.

“We prefer merino wool material. It retains heat and doesn’t irritate as much as other materials.”

Sweden’s latest aid package for Ukraine

Short hop across the Gulf of Bothnia from Finland and Sweden also recently announced the largest package of military aid to Ukraine, indicating that the new government wants to step up support.

“Now we are sending Ukraine a record package of support, both humanitarian and military. Protecting the freedom of Ukraine is the most important foreign policy challenge of our time,” said Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

The Swedes are a bit more outspoken than the Finns about what they supply, and the new package includes an advanced weapon system and air defense ammunition, light all-terrain vehicles, personal equipment including winter gear and body armor, tents and a camouflage net.

The new aid package costs SEK 3 billion (approximately 273.4 million euros), which is one billion kroner more than all previous military aid packages combined.

“The Swedish package is interesting at the European political level because it is a signal that we do not forget about Ukraine, our support is getting bigger and bigger, and it is pressure on countries that might be tempted to do less,” he explained. Oscar Johnsoninternational security expert in Stockholm.

“I think Sweden is saying, ‘Come on guys, don’t give up in Ukraine,'” he told Euronews.

While Sweden has previously provided Ukraine with more discreet military assistance, such as anti-tank weapons, a new set of equipment, including anti-aircraft systems, offers Ukrainians a significant increase in capabilities.

There is also support for the winter, including winter uniforms and tents, but the Swedes don’t have much in stock at the moment, having run out of stock for decades and are now quickly trying to restock.

“In many cases, we give money to Ukraine and tell them to buy equipment themselves because we don’t have a lot of supplies because we have dismantled these large warehouses,” Jonsson explained.

“I think we’re giving good quality, but not big numbers.”