The Winter War between Finland and Russia began in November 1939 and lasted a mere three months. It resembled the current war between the Ukraine and Russia of 2022, now six months on.
In both 1939 and 2022, Russia invaded, without provocation, a sovereign nation with which it shared a border. Both were, or were expected to be, short wars. And both countries--Finland and the Ukraine--were once part of Russia. Finland gained its independence from Russia in the wake of the 1917 Revolution. Similarly, the breakup of the Soviet Union led to Ukrainian independence in 1991.
What is most striking about the two wars is that in both aggressor Russia suffered massive, lopsided casualties. The ratio of Russian casualties to Finns is not definitive, but historians estimate something like seven Russians for every Finn. Today, the effectiveness of Ukrainians in decimating the Russians echoes the Winter War.
In fact, the amazing resilience of the Ukes in defending their homeland is why so many countries the world over have poured in arms to support the bearers of the yellow and blue flag. In contrast, in 1939 with World War II starting up, the Finns had a tougher go at garnering support from Europe and the United States. The Finns were chronically short of ammunition and this contributed to an eventual surrender to the Russians after three months. The Russians outlasted the Finns with more resources.
But the pathetic performance of the Russians against the Finns convinced Adolph Hitler invading Russia was “kick in the door, the house falls down.” And of course, the Russians linked up with the Allies to take on Hitler. With the logic of the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Finland waged a Continuation War with Russia and joined the Axis powers.
So what does the example of the Winter War from some eight decades ago portend for the outcome of the current war? Finland agreed to the Moscow Peace Treaty in 1940 by ceding to Russia territory in its easternmost Karelia. Much current speculation is that the Ukraine will have to give up some of their eastern lands in the Donbas if Vladimir Putin is to save face.
Will the Ukraine be victorious? Like the Finns, will they take the peace treaty and decades later have built a nation that is envied by so many around the world? The strength of that national character, fire-tested in war, endures and can rise above wanton destruction of so much. Yes, this test of the Ukrainian national character might reap benefits for decades to come.
Image credit: wikipedia.org
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