Today, reports are circulating in the media space of Russia amassing its troops near the border with Finland. Allegedly, this is a reaction to Finland and Sweden’s intention to join NATO.

In fact, there is no way that Russia is capable of reacting to such initiatives other than by manifesting its aggressive, predatory nature. However, these initiatives are precisely the result of such manifestations.

But, there’s one question that remains relevant in this context: What's next?

Indeed, Russia is pulling troops to the border with Finland, but so what? How should this force Helsinki to abandon its intention to join NATO? In my opinion, quite on the contrary, such a step will further convince the Finns of the need to become part of the alliance.

Or perhaps Moscow intends to coerce the Finns to abandon the idea? I doubt that.

My doubt is due to the assumption that the last thing Russia wants at the moment is to get bogged down in Finland… The mediocre Russian army has been shamed and humiliated in Ukraine, while Finland, despite not looking as militarized as Ukraine, is a country of endless forests and swamps.

And yes, I specifically don’t recall the "Winter War" and historical memory. That's for a reason. But let me remind you once again that it was the guerrilla tactics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that brought the Russian occupation contingent in Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Sumy regions to a state of hysteria. I am sure that many of those invaders, who had withdrawn to Russia, or rather from Belarus via Russia to Donbas, for regrouping (not for a necessary rotation) who urgently need some major PTSD treatment. Perhaps they keep “seeing” Ukrainian specops forces around every corner, and in every shadow they see the some old Ukrainian forester from a territorial defense unit, who has 41 marks on the butt of his IZH-58 rifle... Oops, 42 marks!

I’m calm about the Finns. They are safe. But, in general, it should be understood that Russia in the current paradigm is increasingly reminiscent of a paranoid man feverishly rushing about a closed room. Moreover, the cause of his paranoia and the feeling of being driven out is himself. Although, in a sense, for paranoids, its always about themselves.

And yes, it was for a reason that I didn’t recall the Winter War.