Finland and its partner countries should prepare for unconventional provocations and possible escalation by Russia in the Baltic Sea region, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen has said, according to Ilta-Sanomat.
According to the defense minister, the Kremlin is planning false flag operations, including the possible use of captured Ukrainian drones to simulate attacks. The main objective of such hybrid operations, he said, is to divert the West's attention, weaken economic and military support for Ukraine, and test NATO's collective defense mechanisms.
In response, Finland's intelligence services and surveillance systems have been placed on round-the-clock alert to assess potential threats.
Häkkänen also predicted that the coming winter will be Ukraine's most difficult since the start of the full-scale war because of Russia's targeted attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
Assessing Ukraine's military needs, the minister said the most critical requirement remains the urgent delivery of Patriot air defense systems and interceptor missiles, noting that production is being constrained by bureaucracy and the pace of the U.S. defense industry.
At the same time, Häkkänen said the most effective way to strengthen support for Ukraine under current conditions would be to de-escalate the conflict involving Iran in the Middle East, allowing scarce Western missile resources to be redirected from the region to Ukraine.
