Його військовий шлях практично збігся з періодом найбільшої трансформації українського війська. Від командира взводу — до командира бригади. Від війни, де значну частину поля…
I have seen the unity of the Ukrainian people and your desire to defend your motherland. I have come to love and respect you as my countrymen.
In our eyes, you are now the strongest nation in the world, and you will be part of us because we share the same world of values. You will be in the history books the savior of Europe and the highest defender of democracy. Your unwavering desire to defend your country, to defend what is right, is a powerful example to the whole world, and before this great power of yours, all the forces of evil will crumble, they will burn in the fire of hell.
You will win this war, you will win everything that can be won, you are already the greatest example of the power of good in the whole world! I will write about how your children see and experience this below.
I am a 44-year-old Finnish man and I wanted to write a letter to all Ukrainian soldiers, this letter, because I want to respect your efforts.
I was born in Finland in 1978, and my grandparents had all been in the war. So, my country was at war against the Soviet Union, in the winter war of 1939—1940 and the continuation war of 1941—1944.
I went to school in the 80s and 90s, and the walls of our schools had pictures of burned Finland, mainly the city of Rovaniemi, the Germans burned this city when they left Finland. As children of the 80s, we often played in old trenches, ammunition depots and bunkers. These have only been dismantled in the 21st century. Everyone in my age group was also taught to identify a land mine, etc. and mark it with a triangle, and to call the defense forces about it. For us, this was all normal. Every year in our school, a party was organized on Finland’s Independence Day, the party always remembered those who fell in the war and honored the frontline men. So, I am the child of the children of people who were in the war, and yet I have seen and heard a lot about the war, and the traces of the war were everywhere until the 90s. Only my children, i.e., the fourth generation after the war, no longer see the effects of the war in their environment.
Every Finnish man is immediately ready to defend his country. We have been talking here since the beginning of your war, that if Russia attacks Finland, we are ready to give our lives to the last man for the independence of our motherland, and we will never surrender to any conqueror. Why? Because we know that the only important thing in life is to be able to live freely in a democratic society that our own forefathers defended for us, we know that all of it is worth it and important. You, who are now fighting there, are creating for future generations an unshakable foundation for the desire to defend their homeland, you are creating an independent Ukraine that will last forever.
My military rank is a combat equipment non-commissioned officer, and in 1997-1998 I went to the army, artillery. During my time in the army, I also had the honor of receiving fallen Finnish soldiers at the border station on the Russian side, who we then buried in Finland. That’s when I understood how much has been given for me, that’s when I understood the price for the fact that we have a good time in Finland, that’s when I understood that I will always do everything for Finland, because they died for me.
You, a man or woman fighting for Ukraine now, then years from now, when your child’s child asks why you don’t have a thumb, you answer that a big fish would bite it off, then you will experience great happiness and pride that your child’s greatest concern is your missing thumb, and that he gets to live in a free country happily on his own terms thanks to you. I asked this thumb question myself to my papa as a child, only now have I understood why the answer was a big fish.
18.9.2022 Kari Vilkman, Finland, Kirkkonummi.
P.S. I often listen to this song thinking about us and Ukraine, it would be great if someone sang it in Ukrainian.
Link to the song: https://youtu.be/SWPmSv-TBy0
Below are the lyrics in English.
Finland, behold, thy daylight now is dawning
The threat of night has now been driven away
The skylark calls across the light of morning
The blue of heaven lets it have its way
And now the day the powers of night is scorning:
Thy daylight dawns, O Finland of ours!
Finland, arise, and raise towards the highest
Thy head now crowned with mighty memory
Finland, arise, for to the world thou criest
That thou hast thrown off thy slavery
Beneath oppression’s yoke thou never liest
Thy morning’s come, O Finland of ours!
