Separatist Russian Forces in Finland Withdraw; Fighting Continues in Northwestern RussiaThe INTERNATIONAL REPORT - March 17th, 2022By Martha E. McMasters, Correspondent - The IR In the late hours of Monday evening, American-led coalition forces in Finland have announced the completion of primary combat operations across Finland, and the beginning of a structured withdrawal from the country as Russian separatist forces have been largely captured or destroyed throughout much of Finland.
The announcement comes as a much-welcomed sign of de-escalation in the region, which has seen varying levels of intensity throughout the nearly ten-month conflict across Finland and Russia. However, with much of the fighting ending across Finland, the fighting across northwestern Russia continues and has even escalated in recent weeks between the Russian military and the One Russia Nationalist Movement separatists, better known as the Nationalist Russian Union- or NRU, with some of the heaviest fighting seen by Russia since their invasion of Grozny during the First Chechen War in late 1994.
Former Colonel-General Artur Bokaryov, the ex-Russian Deputy Chief of the General Staff and de facto military and political leader of the One Russia Nationalist Movement, announced late Sunday that he has ordered the complete withdrawal of fighting forces within Finland, citing “it is not yet our time to unite Finland with Russia, so we must commit our focus where it is needed, where the Russian people’s focus must be- our home.”
United States President James Richardson praised US military efforts and leadership on Tuesday, and also emphasized the US’s commitment to economic security and stability “the world over” will remain a top priority for his administration “well after our men and women return home.” Colonel Catherine Zant, the US European Command (EUCOM) spokesperson, reports that US forces have already begun drawdown and phased withdrawal operations in coordination with NATO peacekeeping and Finnish Defense Forces, and are expected to complete turnover with host nation defense forces within the next 60 days.
Russian President Svetla Basuda and the majority of the remaining Russian government has remained mostly critical of US-led efforts to bring security to Finland in the wake of the Russian separatist boilover that has used Finland as a battleground, particularly since the abrogation of the Finnish-Russian Economic Revitalization Treaty of 2021 (FRERT) in December of 2021, which stemmed as the origin for much of the initial Russian involvement and interest in Finland. “...We extended a mutual gesture of friendship and cooperation to our neighbors in Finland, beneficial to both our nations, and despite tragedy which met both our nations, and the treachery of those within Russia who would seek to undermine peace & prosperity, and instead sow hatred, malice, and return our country to the ill-perceived glory of the former Soviet Union, this partnership has been violated in a most profane matter from those who wish to see Russia pay for what we cannot be held responsible for.” Russian President Svetla Basuda claimed at the beginning of the year as the ruling regarding the treaty had been announced.
On Tuesday, President Basuda called out the United States, citing “if the Americans earnestly had the region’s safety and security in mind, they would not have stopped with enforcing a mediocre withdrawal of terrorists from Finland to concentrate here in Russia… The West would have engaged our help in combating these rebellious traitors & bringing about a mutually beneficial, enduring end to the fighting in both countries.”
The lack of cooperation between the United States and Russian forces in the fight against the NRU separatist movement can be largely attributed to the US and Finland agreeing that a “deconfliction of confusion” was critically necessary to avoid both fratricide and unintentional military engagements between both nation's military forces inside of Finland. An equal concern regarding the likelihood for false flag, disinformation, and sabotage operations carried out by both NRU forces and Russian sympathizers were raised with the prospect of working alongside US and Finnish forces, as the NRU & One Russia Movement itself constitutes a very real concern for reliability and integrity in working with American troops, and was among the key factors in both the intervention by the United States in Finland, as well as the invalidation of the economic agreement between Finland and Russia, which worked to tap the recently discovered gas reserves in the Gulf of Bothnia.
With the fighting in Finland coming to a close, the country can begin to rebuild and heal. However, in the face of both conflict and post-pandemic economic ruin, that process is sure to be a lengthy and costly one at best.
AUTHORIZED FOR DISTRIBUTION BY 1-506th S-2Reviewed By: 1LT Jason Mallory
The entirety of this document represents fictional works of the 506th Infantry Regiment Realism Unit, S-2 Intelligence Shop, developed for use within the Arma 3 military simulation video game, and exists purely for entertainment and educational purposes only. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
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