Posted on 4/29/2022 10:00 PM Updated on 4/29/2022 10:35 PM
France 2 articles written by
In Finland, the population is increasingly worried about the Russian threat, while the war in Ukraine continues. This conflict is pushing more and more non-aligned countries to join NATO.
For the residents of Lahti in southern Finland, it’s time for training at a military base in the middle of the forest: they combine combat techniques, first-aid gestures or even target practice with assault rifles and live ammunition. But here no participant is a career soldier. “We’re only a population of 5 million, so many of us have to learn to shoot a gun if we’re going to defend our country,” says one of the residents-in-training.
This is the Finnish concept of total defense. Everyone must have their place to participate in the war effort if necessary. In Lahti, it’s even a group of musicians learning to hold a checkpoint. Participation in these exercises is not compulsory, but according to the trainers, 80% of the adult population participates at least once a year. The Finns long believed that this defense was sufficient and therefore the country could remain neutral. But things are changing drastically. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a majority of Finns are now in favor of joining NATO. For its part, Russia has threatened serious military consequences if Finland joins NATO. That’s why we check the air raid shelters that are required under most buildings across the country.