Antti Kaikkonen (Cen), who steps back into his role as Minister of Defence next week following two months of paternity leave, sat down for an interview with tabloid Iltalehti.
Kaikkonen spoke to IL about his role as defence minister as it became clear that Russia really was invading Ukraine a year ago.
The minister characterised the day before the invasion as dark, sad, dangerous and "very serious," when he warned that the situation could deteriorate very quickly.
Ahead of the initial attack, Kaikkonen took part in a meeting of defence ministers from Joint Expeditionary Force, a UK-led Northern European defence coalition, where he was presented an extensive overview of the situation.
"The attack began the next morning. I was mentally prepared for it, but it was nevertheless a big disappointment to see it in practice, that we are now in Europe of the 2020s. At a time when we no longer want to see wars," he told IL.
As for the safety of Finland after a year-long war raging 2,000 kilometres south on the same continent, Kaikkonen said that Finland is certainly safe.
"It's true that a lot of work has been done to ensure that Finland remains safe. And we do it constantly so that people in Finland can sleep peacefully at night," he told the paper.
The minister also talked about Finland's abruptly-frozen relations with Russia as well as Finland's defence capabilities, which have been lauded by the international press and community as the Nordic country faced its eastern neighbour with new eyes.
"Finland has been praised so much during the past year that it has almost been embarrassing at times," Kaikkonen admitted.
Hungary MPs set Nato vote date
The Hungarian Parliament will begin discussing the ratifcation of Finland and Sweden's Nato application next Wednesday, according to Tampere-based paper Aamulehti and other outlets.
A debate on the issue is scheduled for next week, a separate vote for each country in store the following week.
Hungary is the only Nato country, apart from Turkey, that has not yet ratified Finland and Sweden's membership in the military alliance. Their approval requires the ratification of all 30 Nato countries.
Hungary has repeatedly postponed the ratification, however, unlike Turkey, it has not indicated that it has any objection to Finland and Sweden's accession into the defence alliance.
The Hungarian opposition has accused Prime Minister Viktor Orban's governing right-wing Fidesz Party of unnecessary delay.
Hospital's bacteria battle
Kuopio's Harjula Hospital has struggled with an outbreak of legionella bacteria for years, Helsingin Sanomat reported on Thursday.
Legionella, HS explained, is a stubborn strain of bacteria that is difficult to eradicate once it gets into the water supply.
The Kuopio hospital has tried to rid the facility of the problem since the spring of 2021, when three people at the hospital fell ill with pneumonia caused by the bacteria.
Samples taken from the hospital in February showed that Legionella was still present. The bacteria was found in amounts above permissable levels in all 14 sample measures that were taken by inspectors.
The hospital has raised its hot water temperature to a maximum of 65 degrees Celsius. Additionally, unused water taps have been cut-off from the water supply, while those still connected have had water run through them regularly.
Legionella is naturally occurring and present in small quantities. It can multiply in water systems under favourable conditions and be carried in aerosols into the air. Humans can become infected through inhalation or ingestion.
Symptoms of infection include dry cough, fever, headache, muscle pain, shortness of breath. Occasionally the bacterium causes severe pneumonia.
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