Thread by @tomiahonen

Coca Kola Thread 1/

So where is the biggest pain to Putin, when Finland joins NATO? Let's study the map a little bit. Let's do some Coca Cola. Or.. Kola. As in Kola peninsula

This place:

Coca Kola Thread 2/

Most people didn't know this place even existed. But the Western quarter of the Kola peninsula is one of the most dense collections of nuclear weapons ... on the planet.

Russian Arctic fleet has its submarine bases here with several sub pens outside Murmansk

Coca Kola Thread 3/

The submarine pens are visible on Google maps. If you recognize boats by their shapes, you can identify the 'boomers' (those carrying nuclear armed SLBMs = Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles - that can reach almost the other side of the planet)

Coca Kola Thread 4/

Similarly, the largest collection of air bases, with long range strategic bombers of the Russian Air Force: Tupolev Tu 160 Blackjack, Tu 122N Backfire, and Tu 95 Bear are parked at air bases along this corridor in Kola Peninsula. The Russian nuclear bombers

Coca Kola Thread 5/

There are plenty of other military assets too, and then various economic interests from nickle mines to fishing, to hydroelectric power plants, that are vital for Russia. All on this Kola peninsula

And there is one slight problem..

Coca Kola Thread 6/

All of Kola peninsula is connected to the rest of Russia on one road and one railroad - that is the orange road I show here. That runs 700 km (450 miles) before it forks. That is a single point of failure for Russia. A strategic stranglehold

Coca Kola Thread 7/

Currently, if Russia were to have a war with NATO, this road is relatively safe, because only way NATO could get to it, is from Norway. VERY unlikely to mount a successful attack because the entrance point is so small (30 km/20 miles at narrowest point)

Coca Kola Thread 8/

Russia has stationed two DIVISIONS of crack arctic troops to guard this Northern flank

Now compare how the danger chances when Finland joins NATO.. The blue arrows. Finland could attack from ANYWHERE. Impossible to block even with 1 million soldiers

Coca Kola Thread 9/

Remember the 40 mile convoy? Finland would not need to OCCUPY this territory. A single COMPANY of specialists could destroy the road, railroad & electric line connecting Murmansk to Russia. And this whole area is dense pine forest. Finns would just vanish

Coca Kola Thread 10/

When Finland was neutral, if Putin were to have a war with NATO, Russia did not have to fear that Finns would come and cut the road to Murmansk. Stopping the Northern passage with 50,000 troops would be enough

Now a million soldiers could not stop Finns

Thank you for playing along with our Mappy Things today

If you want to get back to the First of 3 Threads relating to Finland joining NATO, that is here (with link to Thread number 2):