Finland and Sweden are increasing military aid to Ukraine ahead of winter
The first snow of the year has already arrived in parts of Ukraine.
It turns the thick, wet mud of autumn – plastered by boots, tracks and tires – into an icy quagmire that inevitably seeps through the clothes and into the legs of soldiers ill-equipped to face the changes of the seasons.
In Finland and Sweden, the military knows a thing or two about fighting extreme cold and how to fight the elements. And with an eye on the weather, the two Nordic nations have announced their largest-ever package of military aid to Ukraine.
“It is important that we continue to support Ukraine and provide it with the means to end the war,” 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 told Euronews in an interview.
The tenth — and most recent — Finnish defense package valued at EUR 55.6 million, bringing the total value of all defense material earmarked for Ukraine to EUR 160.4 million since the beginning of the war.
The Finns are notoriously tight-lipped about exactly what they have provided – “it’s for security and operational reasons,” Kaikkonen said – but the minister explains a bit more about the process.
“We get a list from Ukraine, and we consult them when we build these packages. Of course, at the same time, we tell them that we have this and that that we can donate. And through discussions, we can make packages,” he said.
While some countries have been more open about what weapons systems they have provided to Ukraine, the Finns see no need to flag to the Russians what they are supplying.
“It’s the Finnish way of keeping quiet,” Kaikkonen said.
“We have two principles in our aid: we give things that Ukraine needs, and we give things that are possible to give without weakening our own defense.”
He only drops one small, but important hint: “We have taken into account that winter is coming.”
So what winter equipment can Finland provide Ukraine?
The Finnish government and military may not exactly be an open book when it comes to information about what they provide to Ukraine, but there are some obvious and well-founded conclusions to be drawn.
Open source intelligence analyst and military historian Emil Kastehelmi says that Finland probably sends basic winter gear, but nothing too expensive “because of course Finland still has its own geopolitical threats which happen to be the same as Ukraine’s”.
“What I understand from various sources is that both Ukraine and Russia lack proper winter gear like warm underwear and winter camouflage suits, and Finnish camouflage suits are really good. We might send them and sleeping bags too.”
Another important piece of equipment is tents with stoves that can be heated in winter: soldiers can stay warm and even hang up their wet clothes to dry while they sleep.
“At the moment in Ukraine, there is already snow in the northern parts, and it’s a mixture of snow and mud and slush all around. If a soldier fights for a day or two in these conditions, some of his equipment will get wet and he must be dried to fight effectively for weeks or months.”
Kastehelmi says that a tent with a stove or warm dry socks, thermal underwear and camouflage uniforms may sound like simple equipment, but it is “very possible” that neither Ukraine nor Russia have the ability to provide all their troops with basic equipment such as this.
Finnish folk collective winter gear on the way to Ukraine
Official government-level military aid from Finland is not the only aid flowing from north to south, with a number of groups working to fill gaps in equipment supply.
One of these organizations is Your Finnish friendswhich has processed requests mainly for defensive equipment such as ballistic helmets and armor plates requested by Finnish volunteer fighters in Ukraine, but also sent any surplus to the Ukrainian army.
“For example, thermal cameras are in high demand right now, with dark winter nights. Fighters are also asking for Savotta backpacks, Peltor ear muffs and hearing protection helmets,” says Kasper Kannosto, chairman of the charity, who also studies peace, meditation and conflict research at Åbo Akademi in southwestern Finland.
“For winter use, we have bought special woolen socks, neck warmers, military winter jackets and trousers, winter sleeping bags, wrist warmers and winter gloves for operational use,” he told Euronews.
“We prefer the merino wool material. It keeps you warm and doesn’t irritate you as much as other materials.”
Sweden’s latest aid package to Ukraine
A short hop across the Gulf of Bothnia from Finland and Sweden has also recently notified its largest military aid package to Ukraine, a sign from the new government that it wants to increase aid.
“We are now sending a record-breaking support package to Ukraine, with both humanitarian and military support. The defense of Ukraine’s freedom is the most decisive foreign policy task of our time,” says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
The Swedes are a little more forthcoming than the Finns about what they supply, and the new package includes an advanced anti-aircraft weapon system and ammunition, light all-terrain vehicles, personal equipment including winter gear and armour, tents and camouflage netting.
The new aid package is worth 3 billion kroner – approximately 273.4 million euros – which is one billion kroner more than all previous military aid packages combined.
“The Swedish package is interesting at a European political level because it is a signal that we are not forgetting Ukraine, our support is getting bigger and bigger, and there is pressure on countries that may be tempted to do less,” it explained. Oscar Johnsonan international security expert in Stockholm.
“I think this is Sweden saying come on guys don’t give up Ukraine,” he told Euronews.
While Sweden had previously provided more low-key military aid to Ukraine, such as anti-tank weapons, the new round of equipment, including anti-aircraft systems, offers the Ukrainians a major increase in capability.
There is also support for the winter, including winter uniforms and tents, but the Swedes don’t have many in stock at the moment, having depleted their supplies over decades and now quickly trying to restock.
“In many cases, we give money to Ukraine and tell them to buy the equipment themselves, because we don’t have a huge amount of supplies because we dismantled the big stores,” explained Jonsson.
“I think what we provide is good quality, but not big numbers.”