As he said in an interview with Iltalehti, there are attempts by Russian provocateurs to test Finnish services on the Finnish-Russian border. According to him, there is no reason why such measures should not be stepped up soon.
– Finland must continue to adhere to strict border control rules and be prepared for border security to be threatened in unprecedented ways, he said.
According to Hellenberg, there are several groups in Russia that could participate in attempts to destabilize the situation in Finland.
– A thorough analysis of whether these are “little green men”, members of Russian intelligence agencies or organized crime groups is, in my opinion, secondary. He pointed out that we should focus on the target state, above all, on how to react to it.
An example from Poland
British newspaper The Telegraph recently reported on leaked intelligence documents that show Russia plans to use private paramilitary forces to send migrants to Europe.
Hellenberg points out that unofficial groups operated under the leadership of the Russian state in Poland, e.g. Criminal organizations, among others, organized further transport of migrants across the border. He believes there may also be pro-Russian organizations in Finland that help organize mass immigration.
– Finland's border security is also likely to be threatened from within. In a sense, the situation is similar to the one in Poland, which means that some companies, using criminal groups, are trying to create logistics chains that can undermine the country's security, he said.
– It is not that the organizers and administrators of these actions are more concerned with the safety of immigrants, but their only goal is to undermine Finland's internal security. He said this should be remembered.
The length of the border between NATO and Russia doubled when Finland became part of the alliance. Because of its location, it is now partially responsible for the security of its allies.
– Now we are not only a country of the external border of the European Union, but also a country of NATO. In this sense, the pressure to face the upcoming challenges is quite different. It is clear that something is coming from there. No need to guess whether it will come or not, says the expert.
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