Finland plans to purchase one million land mines to boost national security. The country recently withdrew from a treaty banning the weapons.
Finland intends to purchase one million anti-personnel land mines. The nation plans to spend 100 million euros on this defense project.
Also, Finland recently left a United Nations treaty that bans these weapons. Helsinki officially exited the Ottawa Convention earlier this year.
Meanwhile, other nations like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland also left the agreement. They all worry about potential military threats from Russia.
Next, Colonel Riku Mikkonen confirmed the military is currently seeking information from potential suppliers. Officials hope to secure these new munitions soon.
However, Helsinki prefers to use domestic companies for this production. They want to sign contracts by 2027 and begin manufacturing by 2028.
As a result, several Finnish businesses could receive these government contracts. Still, the military has not ruled out buying mines from international sources.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo describes Russia as a long-term threat. Finland shares a very long border with its eastern neighbor.
After that, the government increased its border defenses following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The nation also reports issues with migrants arriving from the east.
Finally, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen wants the European Union to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. She argues that these citizens should not enjoy European freedoms during the war.
The Finnish government already banned Russian tourist visas in 2022. Valtonen now urges other European countries to adopt the same policy immediately.