The debate over Finland’s possible accession to NATO has been a constant story about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and it has often risen to international headlines.
Helsingin Sanomat writes on Wednesday that the speed with which Finland has made progress with its NATO membership has surprised Russia considerably. HS adds that the Russian media now marks Finland by name "fascist" and is shocked by the rapid progress of the Nordic countries towards NATO.
Hanna SmithResearch Director of the European Center of Excellence in Combating Hybrid Threats, spoke to Helsingin Sanomat about Russia’s perspective on Finland’s NATO membership and the hybrid attacks that Russia may use.
"It can be, for example, a major cyber attack with financial or even life-threatening consequences," Smith told HS.
He added that although it has taken some time for Russia to fully understand the internal situation in Finland, it is also possible that threats may take an even more traditional approach.
"Instead, it is possible to move troops and equipment from one place to another. Similarly, in the Baltic Sea, for example, Russia can deploy its warships. Airspace violations have already been seen and will continue to be possible," Smith added.
As for the Russian media, which marks Finland as a fascist state, Smith said that this is due to Finland’s participation in World War II. Part of this is due to an increase in patriotic fervor as Russia approaches May 9, Victory Day. Victory Day celebrates Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany and is the scene of nationalist sentiment.
Smart ring start-up Oura Sports new CEO
Finland was once famous for portable devices, and the new Finnish handheld device has conquered the world in recent years.
Business every day Kauppalehti writes that Finnish start-up Oura may aim to be listed with the appointment of a new CEO Tom Hale.
The new leader is former president of Momentive Global Inc., owner of SurveyMonkey, and Homeaway COO, a vacation rental listing service. Hale listed both companies on the stock exchange, which may be a sign of upcoming events in the ring of an Oulu resident who ended up in the fingers of numerous celebrities.
KL wrote it Eurie Kim, Chairman of Oura’s Board of Directors that Hale’s experience with the IPO was taken into account in his appointment.
"We do not invest in companies that we do not believe are publicly scalable investments. We definitely want to take this company far and wide, and hopefully it will include listing," Kim said.
Earlier this spring, the Oulu-based start-up announced that it had sold one million smart tires and raised a new round of financing, bringing the company’s value to 2.3 billion euros.
KL wrote that Oura did not submit its financial statements in 2020 until the end of 2021. According to the financial statements, Oura’s turnover was EUR 58 million and profit EUR 200,000.
The cold weather continues
According to Iltalehti, spring weather continues to be seasonally cool in the following weeks.
"There are two cold weeks ahead, but possibly in mid-May the frost will ease. However, the predictability of the weather is clearly deteriorating," said the meteorologist Anna Latvala.
May Day it First of May In some places the country can rain and even snow, and temperatures in the south vary widely between 5-12 degrees, with a slight frost of 0-8 degrees in the north.
At the beginning of May, Finland will be covered by a low-pressure front, which will keep the temperature 2-5 degrees colder than usual. Warmer weather may spread to Finland in the second week of May, but it may take a while for a high-pressure front carrying warm air to fly north from Central and Southern Europe.
Long-term weather forecasts provide an average weekly or monthly weather forecast, not individual-day weather forecasts, IL wrote. Weather forecasts are subject to change or change at any time, and it is possible that warmer weather will come sooner or later.
Source: The Nordic Page