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Wednesday's papers: Nato reaction, helmet concerns, and snus sales

Finland joining Nato will have consequences, both foreseen and unforeseen.

Natoliput liehuvat ulkoministeriön edessä.
Finland joined Nato on Tuesday. Image: Antti Lähteenmäki / Yle
  • Yle News

The papers on Wednesday are full of reaction to Finland's historic accession to full Nato membership, which finally took place on Tuesday.

Ilta-Sanomat carries a piece with analysis from foreign policy expert Mika Aaltola on Russia's reaction, suggesting that there will be attempts to test Finland's resilience as a member of the alliance.

Part of that will be an increase in troop numbers close to the Finnish border. Aaltola also expects rhetoric demonising Finland to dial up a notch in the Russian media.

But he says there is a dual reality in Russian debate. What people say in public is not usually what they believe in private.

That said, accusations will fly and Finland should be ready to be seen by Russia as an enemy just as the US, the EU and NATO are seen as enemies.

"That's ahead for Finland too, that Russia will test Finland as a Nato country from time to time," siad Aaltola.

Finland got a taste of that on Tuesday, when Russian hackers attacked several websites with deliberate denial of service attacks.

Helmet acquisition

Iltalehti reports on Finland's first acquisition of military materiel as a Nato country, which is the 25 million euro purchase of infantry helmets from the US firm Galvion Ballistics.

The deal was executed through the Nato Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), a body that may play a bigger part in Finnish defence spending in future.

The Defence Forces said that this equipment strengthens the army's night vision capabilities, and represents an improvement on the current models troops are using.

The deal isn't to everyone's liking, however. Former Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö tweeted in response to the Defence Forces' announcement that he would much rather have purchased the headwear from a Finnish company.

"The traditional domestic helmet manufacturer was apparently not good enough. That's a shame from a security of supply perspective."

Those concerns may become more pronounced in future, as Finland sources more defence procurements through Nato channels — and more equipment is produced abroad.

Snus criminals

Helsingin Sanomat has a report on the sale of snus on social media, which is apparently a growing phenomenon.

The Swedish oral smokeless tobacco is illegal in Finland, but still widely used, and it is traditionally acquired on ferries plying the routes between the two countries.

It remains banned in every EU country bar Sweden, however, and that creates a market that is largely filled by illicit dealers. Officials don't want to single out platforms, but HS mentions Facebook as one arena for snus deals.

Some sellers work on social media, according to the Finnish Customs agency, which has requested companies clamp down on this kind of activity.

Once they ask for a particular group or thread to be removed, companies usually act, but they do not actively work to remove snus selling spots.

Drugs are treated differently, as there are clear legal sanctions in place for selling narcotics and indeed Finnish courts have convicted the administrator of a Tor network that was used to sell drugs.

Officials tell HS that they would like the possibility of tougher sanctions for snus sellers too, but that would require changes to the legislation.

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