Lake Ladoga. Russian ships in the water. This is a message for Finland

Corvettes Grad and Naro-Fominsk class Bujan Mabout 74 meters long, are – according to Russian reports – equipped with, among other things, long-range cruise missiles Caliberused among others in Syria i w Ukraine. With such equipment on Lake Ladoga Russia will have Finland “in the crosshairs” – writes “Ilta-Sanomat” on Thursday.

Lake Ladogalocated east of Finland and north of St. Petersburg, is the biggest in Europe“It is not only the Russians who know that smaller ships or even submarines” – the news portal “Verkkouutiset” noted.

Finland had its own Ladoga Fleet already in 1919, when part of the lake was within its borders. Then, during World War II Finland operated with Germans and Italy as part of a joint force during the attack on USSR. Battles with Soviet ships were fought using artillery barges and torpedo boats – it was noted.

The Barents Observer writes that the corvettes that entered Ladoga via the Neva River from the port of Kronstadt on The Gulf of Finlandset course north. Through Lake Onega and then through the White Sea-Baltic Canal They are supposed to reach Arctic Ocean. “Thanks to this, the Russian Navy will be able to operate around the entire Scandinavian Peninsula,” the Norwegian portal noted.

The Russian fleet started on Tuesday strategic maneuvers Ocean-2024 in various parts of the world, including the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Caspian Sea.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 400 shipsincluding underwater ones, and over 120 planes and helicoptersand also over 90 thousand soldiersThe exercises are scheduled to last until Monday.

Local media comment that Russia's actions on Lake Ladoga are a response to Finland's accession to NATO. The country submitted an application to join the Alliance in May 2022, after Vladimir Putin He started invasion of Ukraine. A historic day occurred in April 2023, when Finland joined NATO.