Comments by "LRRPFco52" (@LRRPFco52) on "Could Finland outgun Russia? | Nils Torvalds" video.

@Dragunov_01 Finnish soldiers have been deployed to Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Middle East, and train regularly with very tough and realistic exercises in their own terrain. Russian army even in VDV, Spetsnaz, and mercenaries don't have nearly as good equipment, weapons, training, or discipline. The Finns have a vastly-superior air force, SAM systems, artillery, and armor compared to Ukraine, and we see how Ukraine has over-matched Russia in those areas already. I can break down the details in each military category if you want.
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I still think he doesn't understand Russia though. Even Finns, who share a border and centuries of trade with Russia, don't grasp the Russian culture and mindset unless they go live there. Most Russians barely know where Finland is, and practically none of them have heard about the Winter War. The very few Russians who happen to study military history between the 2 nations only learn that the fascist Finns invaded Russia. I saw this personally on their map in The Central Red Army Museum in Moscow. They show a huge blue arrow coming from Finland towards Saint Petersburg during the "Great Patriotic War against Fascism". There is zero discussion about Stalin attacking and invading Finland in 1939. Russia is portrayed as the victim, who constantly needs to be on their guard against everyone along their borders. They are culturally isolated from reality of the past, and are now being told that as their valiant boys are fighting the Nazis in Ukraine, those crazy Finns are activating militarily against them up in their Northwest flank with NATO, to encircle poor Russia. They don't see anything remotely how we do in the West. Finns are largely ignorant of how drastic the difference is in how information is portrayed. Putin will not be portrayed as an adventurist dictator, but a type of savior who protects them from Ukronazis and fascist Finns joining NATO. They literally are still in a 1940s peasant mentality.
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@hasse102 That’s strange because I have lived in Russia and Finland, as my mom is from Finland. I was going to qualify my statement with “You have to get away from academic or diplomatic circles in Moscow to see the real countryside and other cities in Russia.” I see the same problem with US and other Western diplomats. They spend most of their time in touristy areas and don’t see the real Russia, then form their opinion on that set of experiences. He also doesn’t want to come across as being remotely sympathetic to Russia, especially now. One thing I noticed about the Russians is that they have a very unified, infantile, peasant mindset where they see themselves both as victims and victors, low self image and extreme pride, a contrast of schizoid personality types when it comes to international relations.
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@Dragunov_01 If your first reference to military equipment is small arms, you're looking at it from the wrong end. Start with: * Early warning and ISR * Fighter/Interceptors * Multirole combat aircraft * Air Defense systems, SAMs, MANPADS * ISR & combat drones * Anti-ship weapons * Anti-armor weapons * Artillery * Armor * APCs * IFVs * Mortars * Snipers * Dismounted infantry In each one of these categories, Finland has a qualitative and training advantage, with numerical parity or superiority to the Sainkt Petersburg military districts. In every one of these categories, Finland has substantially-superior training and motivation, with home advantage. FiAF alone would decimate RuAF assets with extreme losses on Russia's side.
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@raywalters243 Finland has zero access to the Arctic after 1940 when we lost the northern sea port to Russia, and 10% of Finland's land was forcibly stolen by Stalin. You need to study geography some more before studying history, then maybe think about geopolitics. Every winter Finland gains easier access for small towns from one to the other when the lakes are frozen over. This is all inland, not anywhere near the White Sea, Barents Sea, or Arctic Ocean.
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@Dragunov_01 Finland sent soldiers to those regions, as well as to Georgia as observers/peacekeepers. It's not widely reported. USAF pilots in Desert Storm had zero combat experience. US Army and Marine armor units had zero combat experience as well. The Iraqi Air Force and Army had 8 years of continuous war experience against Iran-one of the best equipped militaries in the world. The US humiliated the Iraqis in their own live fire training areas and skies. Finland takes its defense far more seriously because the Russian threat is right there. Finland is equipped with weapons from the US that the US wouldn't even sell to the UK at first. I've listened to multiple feeds of VVS Su-27SM pilots talking on the radio. They sound like total amateurs with no radio discipline, no brevity codes, like new cadets learning how to PTT for the first time. Same with Su-34 & Mi-24 pilots over Ukraine. Total amateurs talking on open text, non-secure. Russian Air force has lower standards than any of the 3rd world nation Air forces who are equipped by the US or France. NATO infantry units have far better radio discipline.
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