Factors affecting Finland’s security environment
- Security developments globally, in Europe and in Finland’s neighbouring areas, including the Arctic region
- Especially relations between Russia and the West
- Economic, social and military development of Russia
- The war against Ukraine and its effects
- NATO activities
- Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership
- Presence and troops in the Baltic States and Poland
- The functioning of the EU as a security community
- The struggle between the United States and China for world domination
- The dependence of many European countries on imported energy (from Russia or the Middle East)
- Global security problems, such as the consequences of climate change, etc.
Read more in the menu Global security challenges (link).
Read more in the menu Security impacts of climate change (link).
- New security threats
Read more in the menu Hybrid and cyber influencing (link).
- Reflection of problems in the Middle East and Africa
NATO and EU memberships in Europe. Source: Nikolai Ylirotu
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Finland’s security environment changed fundamentally when Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, having already, in 2014, invaded and occupied Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and started a low-intensity war in eastern Ukraine.
As a result of the events in 2022, Finland reassessed its security political situation and joined NATO. The fact that all of the Nordic countries belong to the same military alliance strengthens the stability and security of Finland, the Baltic Sea region, and Northern Europe.
Sources and links
Government Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy (2020):
http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-287-892-2
Government Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy (2024):
http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-383-929-8
Government report on changes in the security environment (2022):
http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-383-811-6
Report on Finland’s Accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (15 May 2022):
https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/164093/Gov_rep_EN.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland’s reactions:
https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/ukraine
https://um.fi/russian-attack-on-ukraine
https://www.defmin.fi/en/topical/russian_attack_on_ukraine_and_finlands_support_to_ukraine