Picnic Near A Trench
Following the 1939-1940 Winter War between the USSR and Finland, Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, inspired by the success of the legendary defensive line named after him, ensured the construction of a chain of fortifications along the entire 1,271-km border with the USSR. The bunker in the city of Joensuu was part of this defense system (although never employed in action).
The concrete box of the bunker and a network of trenches are located at an idyllic place on the bank of the Pielisjoki River. Birches, a neatly mowed lawn, an information board, and a barbecue site. A few Russian-speaking city dwellers are grilling meat, sipping beer, and listening to music here late in the evening in mid-May (in Joensuu, the sun sets nearly at midnight at this time of the year).
"I am opposed [to Finland's accession to NATO], because we've lived and communicated pretty well until lately, but now all the ties will be cut off, and it's going to be hard for Russia to do without Finland, and even more so for Finland without Russia," says Nikita, a stocky guy in a baseball cap, who works in the metal processing industry, as he mentioned himself.