Finland Preparing To Evacuate Citizens Along Russian Border Should War Arise

As tensions remain high due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Finnish Defence Forces and others are preparing to evacuate residents along the Russian border in the event of a possible conflict.

The Finnish Defence Forces and other authorities may go as far as going door to door in the event of war to help evacuate those living along the border with Russia and gave a presentation on the issue in the eastern town of Lieksa this week.

Commander of the North Karelian Border Guard, Colonel Marko Turunen, said that many were interested in the topic of security in the area.

“Issues directly related to the war in Ukraine were not a priority there, but indirectly everyone wonders what the security situation is like in North Karelia. Surely for many, the international situation is in the back of their minds,” Colonel Turunen told broadcaster Yle.

If a war were to take place involving Russia and Finland, some have estimated that over a million people would have to evaluate westward from Eastern Finland.

Tarja Wiikinkoski, Director of the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland, estimated that around 70 to 80 per cent of Finns would evacuate using their own cars, while others could be moved by buses and trains.

Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February when Russian forces invaded, Finland has been on alert for the possibility of Russian moves along its border, particularly after the country announced it would be seeking to join the NATO alliance.

Earlier this year in June, Finnish Chief of Defence Timo Kivinen warned against any possible aggression from Russia saying, “We have systematically developed our military defence precisely for this type of warfare that is being waged there (in Ukraine), with a massive use of firepower, armoured forces and also airforces.”

Earlier this month, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin stated she was supportive of building a partial fence along the Russian border in order to better control who was coming into the country in order to secure the border.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com.