Finland is moving to acquire one million anti-personnel mines as it ramps up defence preparations following its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, a humanitarian treaty aimed at eliminating such weapons. The plan, estimated to cost 100 million euros ($112 million), comes after Helsinki and several regional peers exited the accord last year, citing the potential threat from Russia.
Colonel Riku Mikkonen of the Army Command told Finland's national news agency STT that officials are gathering information from suppliers. Helsinki would prefer domestic manufacturers to produce the mines, with contracts signed by the end of 2027 and production operational by 2028. "It would be useful in many ways if Finnish companies produced the anti-personnel mines in Finland," Mikkonen said. About half a dozen Finnish firms qualify, he added, though buying from abroad is not ruled out.
Finland joined the Ottawa Convention in 2012 but announced its withdrawal in April 2025, ceasing to be bound by the treaty in January. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has described Russia, which shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Finland, as a long-term threat. Helsinki has strengthened its defences since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and reported that migrants have been pushed across the eastern border.
Separately, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Monday urged the European Union to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians until the war in Ukraine ends. "As long as Russia continues its invasion, Russian citizens should not be issued tourist visas," she said, noting that Schengen countries granted nearly half a million tourist visas to Russians in 2025. Finland banned such visas in 2022, and Valtonen argued the rest of the bloc should follow suit.