Q&A 55: Surplus Gear and Finnish Culture w/ Jari Laine of Varusteleka
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- Опубліковано 20 лип 2024
- / forgottenweapons
www.floatplane.com/channel/Fo...
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Today we have a Q&A guest: Jari Laine, CEO of Varusteleka. Jari is active in the Finnish reserves in addition to his role as CEO, and exemplifies the company's practical expertise in designing and producing topicality military gear as well as sourcing all manner of surplus. Located just north of Helsinki in Finland, Varusteleka ships worldwide (including to the US for a flat $9.99). You can browse their whole extensive collection at:
www.varusteleka.com/en
Now, for our questions with Jari:
00:00 - Introduction
02:17 - Natural fibers vs synthetics
04:51 - What can Americans learn from Finnish culture (besides sauna)?
05:43 - How to deal with mosquitos
07:42 - Särmä short-shorts?
08:30 - Cool but utterly useless military gear?
10:10 - Biggest shortcoming of Finnish gear?
13:05 - Varusteleka sales, international vs domestic Finland?
14:25 - Prioritizing product people need vs high-profit products?
17:11 - Is there a place for the 9mm SMG in a modern military?
19:33 - How do Finns feel about the huge number of Finnish surplus guns in the US?
21:34 - News about Finnish Brutality 2022?
22:34 - Difficult country or region to find surplus from?
24:37 - How to repair merino wool cuffs and elbows?
25:44 - What does Jari think of the WWSD?
27:13 - Why does Finland still use 7.62x39mm?
31:13 - Anything specific you always do in the US when visiting?
33:10 - Strangest piece of milsurp you have been offered?
34:59 - How does Varusteleka actually find surplus goods?
36:53 - Were WW2 puukko knives private or military issue?
38:36 - Is surplus from particular countries consistent in quality?
40:40 - How are modern-day relations between Russia and Finland?
42:12 - Does Varusteleka have any clothing items with absolutely no plastic?
44:07 - What do Ian and Jari enjoy about the other's countries?
46:33 - Who would win a hand-to-hand fight, Jari or Vladimir Putin?
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
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Ian made history; this is the longest documented conversation with a Finn. Ever.
it only counts if your sober
@@flyfin108
How does sober belong to him, is it his dog?
As a Finm I concur
Memories of Kimi Raikonnen in F1 replying with “Bwoah” and maybe a two word phrase if you’re lucky.
James may would be proud
"How do you stop the Mosquitos?"
Jari, a Proper Fin: You don't, you just accept the misery
When the mosquitos reappear, I let the first ones enjoy their blood meals in peace so as to build up resistance. Afterwards, when you get the inevitable bites, you don't get the itchy bumps.
@@peabase this is the way
Embrace the suck
The 80-90's rain jacket was actually a cape (or poncho), often called The Nuclear Cape (ydinviitta), because the field manual, in a rather reassuring manner instructed you to wear in case of chemical, napalm or even nuclear attack. However the magical cape would fail to protect you from rain. 🤔🙄😂
They were called, by us troops, "taikaviitta", literally magical cape (though they are more like a poncho). Though I always thought they did a ok job against rain even if it was a bit short for my hight. Didn't test mine against chemical, napalm or nuclear attack though, but our trainers did demonstrate how well one beat up cape managed against napalm (not well).
The only piece of Finnish military kit that *isn't* water absorbent is the bath towel.
The British thirties era Mk 7 Rain Cape is similar, there were 7 variants up to the Second World War and it still didn’t work coming from a Country where it rains.......a lot.
@@jkausti6737 I wouldn't expect a poncho to stand up to napalm, but it is another layer for the napalm to land on, and that can be quickly shed.
Better it lands on the poncho than your shirt...
I thought they were by far the best part of the kit. Loose enough that unlike 'ordinary' rainwear (sp?) it didn't turn into a portable steam cabinet. Could be turned into a lean-to. Used to protect from ground moisture...
Definition of a Finnish extrovert: He looks at your shoes instead of his when he talks to you. ;)
8)
"Cloth Bandage" made me laugh, its a very good description of a patch. English is a hard language for Americans to learn, im impressed by how articulate our Finnish friends are. Much love from Texas
Hey, be nice, not our fault we Americans mostly learn to speak from people educated by public schools!!! :)
Meanwhile Finnish is supposed to be one of the hardest languages
@@beargillium2369 Yyksii kaksii! Perkele!
@@beargillium2369 It is difficult in many ways, but it's also a fairly modular, formulaic language. It's also very expressive (which is why you often see looooong, frightening looking words that communicate fine shades of meaning).
@@kw9849 The thing with Finnish is that in many respects it's actually quite easy, but to get the benefit from all that you first need to learn all the hard stuff. Unlike in English where the learning curve is quite smooth.
Särmä short-shorts? Did James from TFB TV submit a question to Forgotten Weapons?
I am American and completely comfortable in silence with other people. Most Americans feel really awkward about it. I can ride in a car for 3 hours and not say a word to any passengers and not feel weird about it.
My wife HATES that. 😂
One of my daughters claims that I'd be happiest if I could retreat to my giant hamster ball at will. She's almost as introverted as I am; we'd both be just fine interacting silently with Finns and other similar types.
you might be a Finn, kippis!
Times gonna keep burning one way or another. I don't want to waste it, personally.
@@keletoniatehsecond I am predominantly of German and Nordic decent.
In Norway it's opposite. Be that guy who talks to strangers on public transport, and you're weird. It's only acceptable to talk to strangers if both parties are drunk.
I absolutely love that you give a menu under long Q&A vids so that viewers can pick and choose. That is the kind of meticulous preparation that makes your channel worth following. You work harder and produce a better product than other UA-camrs.
I've bought a lot of stuff from them thanks to Ian's shilling, and I love it. I feel like King Fudd when I go to the rural areas in my Sarma hunting jacket
ALL HAIL THE KING!
🤣
Ian and Jari would totally blend in at a Children of Bodom Concert.
I started wearing merino wool years ago for running, hiking, biking and even sitting at the bus stop in Minnesota at - 20F. The moisture wicking, warm when wet, quick drying AND doesn't hold odors are excellent qualities. My other quick dry shirts were freezing and smelled like dirty socks even after washing them. A merino wool t-shirt or polo is so nice year round for sports and work. Hard to find good wool clothing in Europe, but Varusteleka is excellent!
On the "36:53 - Were WW2 puukko knives private or military issue"
The army issued bayonets, puukkos were privately aquired.
Ilmari Honkanen (recipient number 50 of the Mannerheim Cross, LRRP leader, the commander of the troop that took out the Petrovski Jam supply base behind the Russian lines) had a huge puukko called "Lullaby" (Kehtolaulu) that his father had made. It was 32 cm long overall, so quite a bit bigger then the everyday woodcraft tool that most think as Puukko; the average puukko used to be about 21 cm overall, 10 cm blade ("the width of man's hand) and a slightly longer handle. He carried Kehtolaulu on all his patrols behind the enemy lines. When asked by some war correspondent about the size of the puukko, he replied "We don't whittle sticks there" ("Ei siellä tikkuja vuoltu")
Would that not make it a leuku
@@jhtsurvival Leuku/puukko difference is more then just the lenght of the blade :)
The shape of the Kehtolaulu’s blade point and the handle were definitely puukko, not leuku.
Note on puukko knifes:
During the war, they could also be bought in military canteens, at the front. Best to think of it as a piece of personal property, similar to a Zippo a GI could buy during World War II or a pocket knife.
I just have checked out your homepage. Of all the outdoor homepages there are, you have the best picturing of the items.
That's kinda what got them skyrocketing. People quite often just browses the store because of the product descriptions.
Regarding the puukko, when my son turned up for his service the was a security check and the leutenant asked if there was anything sharp in the bag and my son answered four knifes, it raised an eyebrow🤣
Their item descriptions are the best in the world! 😂
I got very lucky some years ago, and pulled a 1943 Tikka 91/30 from a pile of refurbed Mosins. It had been captured and rearsenaled by the Russians, but they left the barrel alone, and it was imported by PW Arms like any other 91/30. Learning about that gun (1 of 9 Tikka capture/refurbs in the US, allegedly) was my introduction and gateway into Finnish rifles. His comment is very on point.
That comment got me a little flustered. What a freaking find!
@@mattfleming86 Always look at everything. Same place few weeks later, same deal,1897 Ex Dragoon, refurbed to 91/30.
Not as cool, but when they are all $129...
I miss those times. I now have more money, and fewer opportunities like that. Back then I had too many opportunities and not enough money.
Ah yes sir. I bought a Maadi out of a stack of Maadis , E German, Russian Akm's. It cost me roughly 350.00. Sold it went back for a preban Romy. Then back for Romy 556. All for about 400.
FW introduced me to Varusteleka - and my wardrobe is fuller and my wallet emptier..... happily so.... I spent some time in Finland back in the day and I totally agree with Ian about Finns and them having something to say or not. Finnish people don't waste words and are happy with silence.
My father was an exception to that rule and would talk your ear off for hours…listeners were optional.
@@johnnyh-pay5843 you reckon he had some fun juice before that started tho?
I too have a lighter wallet, and heavier wardrobe, for being introduced to Varusteleka by Ian (and Karl).
I think it's great that Ian is drinking a long drink while Jari is drinking a PBR 😂
Aren't they in Utah a dry state?
@@demonprinces17 Utah isn't a dry state
@@shipshape08 people complain can't buy a beer and do neighborhood stocking runs to neighboring states
The comments on surplus "quality" were interesting and reminded me of "Murpy's Laws of Military Operations, one of which is:
"Always remember that your equipment was supplied by the lowest bidder".
There are pages of more of this sort of thing all over the internet.
Hand up if you are still waiting for their commando underpants to come back in stock!
I'm sitting watching this in my Varusteleka wool zip up hoodie and Tactical Jeans. All of their gear is of excellent quality and I can definitely recommend it.
I like the look of this ceo, more like this and less corporate suit guys 👌🏻😁
Jari is the real deal, and the best example of the "right person for the job"
He's Finnish so not exactly like the US
@@jhtsurvival i work for a finnish company. Our ceo is suit guy :/
laconic fins..reminds me of my one Finnish joke. Two very good friends who haven't met in decades bump into each other while visiting their home town, without speaking the lock step and head to the local bar, they nod to the barman who with out comment pours them each a drink. They raise glasses and one friend says "Cheers!" the other pulls down his glass and says "look... are we talking or are we drinking?" not a great joke but to me it sums up the Finnish character.
To repair knitted woollens, the best method is to darn it - if you don't know how, there's plenty of instructions out there on the internet. Alternatively, if it's a woven fabric, it could also be bound with bias binding, again, there are likely to be guides on how to do it online.
Could you ask your husband to comment...im just joking
@@Timo8.2. Used to be a tailor :)
Hopefully at some point Varusteleka can add more "learn to read and speak Finnish" books for English speakers to their inventory.
Doing my morning gym and listening to forgotten weapons: excellent
I love everything I have bought from Varusteleka, I have like five mosquito nets, I use one to wrap my binoculars to lessen the light reflecting off the lenses and to just kind of break up the hard edges. One I wear the rest are for people who don't bring their own because they think they won't need it. I have a three day pack in which regularly carry 20+ kilos. Super comfortable. I've had it for a couple of years now and it is finally starting wear out. I enjoy that the failure mode for the buckles is to just pop open instead of breaking. I'll probably replace it with an identical one. Shipping is surprisingly reasonable.
Yeah, about them still using 7.62…people forget they aren’t the US, they aren’t spending 600-700billion dollars a year on their military so they can’t afford to effectively change that, and everything, factories for new ammo too, and training, parts, etc.
Yep and considering they need to have hundreds of thousands of rifles in storage for the inactive reservist troop just in case "war were declared". I believe a good chunk of those are Chinese/East Germany Type 56/AKM pattern rifles purchased in the 90s , so their would be crossover in terms of training and ammo with the various RK rifles they use.
Yes, but... The US is still using the M4 largely for the same reasons the Fins are still using the 7.62 AK derivatives.
@@jeffthebaptist3602 yeah, somewhat, also works good enough, there isn’t an alternative, that’s better by a big enough margin to warrant replacement of all our crap. And to be fair, AR platform, could keep it and rechamber, or go with an AR10 sized lower if need be, and all the training would similar, just small details different.
Replacing the something like 600000 assault rifles in inventory and their ammunition stockpile would cost about 600-800 million euro. That's more than getting a fifth Pohjanmaan-class "corvette"(they are barely smaller than Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate) or replacing the entire operational field artillery with K9 self propelled howitzers. I can list about a hundred more important funding priorities that result in significantly higher performance increase that buying new assault rifles. Also what assault rifle should we buy? The us is trying to move on from 5.56x45 nato. To what we don't know yet. Waiting until that's cleared up is the right thing to do.
The program of a new assault rifle is already in the works, if not yet official. But very high likelihood it will be an AR pattern rifle manufactured by SAKO. On what calibre? Who knows. I think both Finland and Sweden (who are also replacing their AK5 very soon) are very interested in what happens with the NGSW-program.
The fact is that 7.62x39 and the RK rifles are going away in the next 5-10 years, at least in frontline service. But those will remain in reserve for decades still because replacing a service rifle takes time...
I visited Varusteleka in August picked some great stuff my only issue was lack of money on my part and suit case space
Good timing for this to pop up in my feed, I've just finished reading the story of the Finnish utter mad lad, Aimo Koivunen. Absolute legend! Glad to see your extensive use of Aussie/Kiwi merino wool BTW, best in the world!
@25:30 (or so)- A tailor or seamstress can easily repair frayed cuffs with double fold bias tape and the best way (other than not wearing it often) to avoid holes in the elbows of a hoodie is to add patches BEFORE holes develop. A hand sewn flat stitch works well but is labor intensive and therefore expensive if you're paying someone.
Rhodesian style short shorts. I’ve always wanted a pair.
Before the cuffs or elbows fray sew on a thin leather cover.
Remember to turn the cuff leather inside as well as make the outer cover.
I'm sick n dizzy, i watch this in my feed.....
Best fever dream of my life
About the 7.62 caliber question, I heard in the army that we stick to that caliber because Finnish troops would most likely fight in forests in the case of war. The heavier bullet will penetrate some smaller trees, will not start to rotate like a lighter/smaller caliber bullet would. That's the main reason and the official explanation, so I've heard.
The variation in the landscape of the US is insane as well
C´mon Finland does have Taco Bell...
Happy Thanksgiving Ian 🦃
@33:27 following on from this. I was reading the description of the polish surplus “piss pot”. It made me laugh out loud. Well worth a look (and purchase if you need it!)
Varusteleka rocks the surplus world!!!!!! Their own line is great as well! Thanks guys for a cool Q&A!
Great content! Love the ForgottenWeapons and InRangeTv relationship with Varusteleka
Relationship with the Bear?
I remember "The Leningrad Cowboys" both the televised huge concert in Helsinki with the Red Army Choir and their weird movie; "Leningrad Cowboys Go America".
I was stuck here in Australia with a new job but my wife actually attended one of their outdoors concerts in Helsinki, on the basis of those programmes on TV. She seemed to be impressed.
Finnish (Suomi?) rifle question: What happened to all the TKIV sniper rigs? Talk about pushing the Mosin Nagant envelope!
Peculiarities of National film series
Yes try this too:
ua-cam.com/video/rD5bUrZdc68/v-deo.html
One of the iconic images of the Winter War were soldiers like Simo Hayha dressed head to toe in white, not only for camouflage but to stay warm in the brutal cold. What material were they using then and does someone still make similar clothing today?
Mostly old bedsheet because those are white and available. many soldiers have their civilian cloth under snowsuit. that is called model Cajander by one of our pre war PM. Only gear from Goverments were belts and cockade to headgear.
Bed sheets.
@@jukkakopol7355 Interesting, thanks. Clearly the Finnish army today doesn't use bedsheets, so is there a company that sells their winter clothing on-line?
The uniforms were woolen, I'm not sure about the white covers.
@@lotus95t Varusteleka.
Finland still has a statue of Russian Tsar Alexander II in Helsinki. It was never defaced or removed, even when Finland and Russia were at war.
thats because Alexander was a good Tsar and generally not a dick
Well it was completely different government. Stalin would probably just have been glad Finns defaced his mortal enemy, the Romanov dynasty.
And market square there is Tsarinas stone with Romanovs two headed eagle on it. And couple of ugliest soviet statues on shores of the city. We are quite tolerant people here.
Unlike some countries, we do not want to destroy our cultular and national history. During his reign Tsar Alexander II agreed to many new changes that laid the foundations for our independence. Regular parliamentary activities began, the Finnish language gained official status, a primary school was established, a municipal administration was established in the countryside, freedom of establishment was realized and Finland introduced its own currency.
Alexander II was very liked Tsar in Finland; he built many new cities and modernised lot of the central and eastern side of the land.
So I was just looking at their website and I found a bag that I had for 35 years and wore it out and they have them for sale. They have a great store. I was looking for a new internal frame pack that has MOLLE attachment points on it and I found what I was looking for. I always use milsurp equipment for camping and every day life like my bread bag that I have used to carry my daily gear. I looking for a good pair of boots but it's hard to find 15 extra wide. I had a pair of US military steel toe utilities that were from the Korean war era.i have had them resoled 3 times and several heals until I put German heal irons on them. It was hell on the floors but they were ment for the outdoors. Anyway check out the website. They have some really good gear not the crap from China.🇺🇸💪
I like Jari's hand signal for "enema".
The new leutenants are allways decked out with like 1k worth of gear from varusteleka
I ordered a set of Lowa boots to Canada that you can't get here. Definitely going to be ordering more gear. Great service!
Love when you talk to Jari. Cool video
Sarma merino socks I recently picked up are some of my favorite socks ever.
Leather patches on the elbows. Looks good, lasts a long time, and if you sew them on before the wool wears through, it should stay fairly comfy. :-)
Leather elbow patches - not just for literature teaches! 😛
I just got a few wool items from them and I’m very impressed with the quality and fit. I’ll be a returning customer for sure.
I’d enjoy a podcast from the two of you.
I’m really hoping they restocked good for 2022. Definitely want to get a lot of stuff here but it’s mostly out of stock, at least for my size.
They've had issues with getting materials, but you can get a notification when they become available and that can be smaller batches more frequently. I though they were out of some basic products, but I'd just missed several restocks.
"Do I look fat in these pants?"
Finnish Husband/BF: "Yes"
I am not that stupid, or have a death wish 🤣 (yes, I am a Finn)
She was asking for it. The correct answer in finnish would be "I am allowed to not incriminate myself by the law". Or plain "not more than usual". Then you spend a week in silence trying to make up for it.
Imagine Ian on Drunk History talking about John Browning taking his A5 Shotgun to Winchester
There is a suomen puukkoseura Ry ( Finnish puukko club registered associtation) they most of the knowledge of books. There is countless books of puukko but mostly finnish.
big mood with the mosquitos; at summer camp we were told "bugs are mental". at the end of the day, you just gotta ignore them
30:28 To my understanding 7.62x39mm cartridges tend to weigh in at around 16 grams, vs. 5.45x39mm and 5.56x45mm at more like 10-11 grams, so a 50% difference. Were you perhaps thinking of the 7.62x51mm (25-26 grams) or the 7.62x54R (31 grams)?
Interesting conversation.
Great work Sir thank you
Love rocking my Varusteleka gear to the ski slopes; the perkele patch I have on my parka is especially perfect considering my time on the slopes often contains such moments
Aa a Finn living in the U.S (SoCal), great job, Jari! (and Ian ;) )
Excellent interview 👍💯🏆
Varusteleka raises their prices for black friday =D now that's funny
that is why i suddenly have a Czech M85 vinyl rucksack
Varusteleka is a awesome company. Their inhouse gear that they manufacture is top quality. Their surplus variety has always been the best,go check it out there is something for everyone. Jari are you still going to do the modern pat83 that you had a prototype of? I saw on your instagram long time ago.
I'm pumped Ian is giving Finland its due
All of my gear has somehow ended up being from these guys now, just got the Jaakaari M, I'm a walking sponsored advertisement in the woods lol
Yes, here in Colorado, West Nile Virus in the mosquito population is a big problem (some years worse than others). Did not know that Finnish Mosquitoes are not usually disease vectors.
Varusteleka's gear is awesome but be warned about their sizes, they tend to trend smaller than equivalent North America's M/L/XL. I have a Sarma jacket and I ordered it one size "larger" than what I normally wear and it barely fits. But it's a flipping great coat!
They have a sizing tool on the website to help you select the best size to match your requirements.
@@foxtrotromeo25 I used it (hence the one size up from normal), what I'm saying is it still ended up snug.
I have two jackets (not from Varusteleka) that were sold as XL. On the size tag it says US: L and XL for the rest of the world. I found that a little bit funny.
As the saying goes, everything is larger in the states
45:30 It seems Ian hasn't visited Savonian region yet. 😄
(However the languages are so different that their convoluted way to express themselves does not really carry over)
I get email alerts from Varusteleka, and they've got some really nice surplus and new mfg. Gear.
Varusteleka is my go to source for Scho- Ka- Cola.
Odd, for me it's the supermarket.
@@GermanEngineer84 Ah, that sure is superior german engineering on a society wide scale. Makes me a bit jealous. Me, a Swede, also orders the stuff from Varusteleka.
@@GermanEngineer84 That’s where I buy my ammo.
@@Swearing0000 Ah, I order that online, along with my guns. The delivery is even to my door.
They just need to get the wool stuff I want back in stock.
As much as i like the chanel and what Varustelika does this Q&A is a infomercial.
5:40 the sound of silence.
Here's a question for Ian: Did you visit Kyrö Distillery during your latest visit in Finland? ;)
Not on his latest visit I think, but he actually did visit it once, even did a video on it
Deflection actually depends on nose shape and ramping off the the nose or breaking off the edge.
I liked the M13 rain pants, you could piss real easy out of them and the long jacket covered what the pants didn't
And your balls were not totally covered in sweat thanks to the good ventilation.
Although the ”sadelahkeet” (rain legs? Just the sleeve part of trousers) were even more ventilated, you could not sit on anything without getting your ass wet (the finnish forest is a wet place when it rains, especially in the autumn)
@@jukkatalari3896 And that was supposed to be our CBRN gear 🤔🤔
M13 rain gear was installed the wrong way around: it didn't even need rain and you were totally wet. 😅
I almost exclusively use Sarma socks every month I order at least 100 USD worth of them I spend a bunch of time on my feet between work and my hobbies and they are amazing.
I live in Louisiana Mosquitos are our state bird lol I've actually been using a botanical based bug spray that works okay.
SMGs are making a comeback with Law enforcement in the US they use suppressed SMGs when they raid meth labs because there is no muzzle blast that can ignite the flammable chemicals
What's the bug spray called?
@@onpsxmember repel deet free it has oil of lemon eucalyptus I'd have to look up the MSD to find out what else is in it but it definitely doesn't feel as bad on my skin as traditional bug sprays.
'you know, enema' *illustrates with tube jabbing motion*
I had a feeling that getting good Mexican food would be on Jari's list of things to do.
Does anybody remember the name of the book that had machine gun nests for trees in it? i believe i saw it on forgotten weapons.
Got a great m16 helmet from the kind folks from Varusteleka. They have my approval.
Interesting that stockpiles of ammo are still driving policy, as with the US 30-06 and the British .303.
Well war eats lot of ammo and one doesn't have time to make it, when one gets 1 week warning to war.
Thus there is war prepardness stockpiles counted in millions of rounds physically in stockpile. Replacing it all in one go would be expensive.
As long as it isn't completely obsolete to purpose, why change it. Would something more modern be better? Yes, but is it so much more fundamentally better it is worth spending millions and millions of tax payers money.
"Black Edelweiß" is a great ww2 book touching the service of the puukko knive in the military 👍🏻
Haha, so many mosquitos. I know how you feel Jari. Good advice!
that's great bro!!!
Very interesting video. As a finn it's interesting to hear how Finland and finnish people look in the eyes of foreign people who get to see different part of the culture and people. But it's also cool to learn more about Varusteleka, been regularly checking them for a decade or more, but not aware of all of their philosophies and what they're working on.
Politically Finland has been in somewhat very good terms with Russia, historically ever since the world war. The war debt paid to Russia and the aftermath in general demanded somewhat tight relations and kicked off finnish industry. I believe Finland is one of the few countries to ever fully pay their war debts actually. I don't know what it is, but it has seemed like Russia is really keen on being in good terms with Finland. Of course there's pressure here and there, but to me it looks like Russia always treats Finland better than other countries and it's more like acquaintances discussing rather than opposing leaders. Maybe due to the fact that Finland and Russia have a lot of export between each other, a ton of good machinery and technology and just knowledge is delivered to Russia by Finnish companies, and Russia enjoys the pass-thru in Finland for their products. The amount of trucks and cargo trains on the russian border is a legendary phenomenon. Not to mention how many Russians at the border shop in Finland because they have a very high respect for finnish food and other products, the quality and how natural it is in general. Finland kind of has a brand at least around the border. And of course over the years there's been uncountable amount of immigration to Finland and finnish-russian families, businessmen or workers going to Russia just as well. And perhaps Finland's unique stance being slightly impartial in global politics. In a sense that Finland has never been really committed to military pacts to west or east, and Finland being a western country in spirit, but located in the east, a great link for Russia to western politics and markets.
So great to hear a Finnish perspective, thank you!
The first time I had a long drink I was disappointed to learn that it was made in my home town
The Selous Scouts used to have the best shorts. heh. Cheers for the vid Ian.
Wish I knew you were here in my state, have you been to the Browning museum in Ogden, Utah?
I thought the thumbnail was Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now for a minute.
love the idea id shirt shorts
Lonkero 1952 Olympic sports beverage
should of asked him if finnish mosin nagants(m38) are still available somewhere ready to shoot !?!
Ian, will you be joining Odysee?! Would love to have your unedited videos back!!
I'm working with my tile boss again and we are both confident in what we do and are skilled. I enjoy the hour long silence we have some times as a master craftsman and his apprentice applying the trade in complete silence
Hello , Finland 😀