With the threat of a major war with Russia and a loss of confidence in the United States as a reliable partner, European leaders and militaries should take a hard look at a country that for years assumed it would have to defend itself if attacked. This is Finland. Bloomberg columnist Liam Denning wrote column On how Finland is preparing for a possible war with Russia – and believes that other European countries should learn from its experience. Meduza retells the main points from this article.
- Finland is a country with a population of less than six million people. For decades, diplomatic relations were between East and West. In 2023, the following year after the start of the Great Russian-Ukrainian War, it joined NATO.
- In cooperation with another new NATO member, Sweden, Finland filled the gap in NATO’s defenses in the north. Despite its small population, it has a large reserve: Finland’s mobilized army numbers 280 thousand people with a total reserve of about 900 thousand (Data For the month of September 2025). This is more than Germany (as of December 2025 – 260 thousand people Taking into account the military and civilian personnel of the German Army as well as 200,000 reservists) and Great Britain (182 thousand people As of October 2025). Finland’s per capita defense spending is significantly higher than the European average.
- The basis of the Finnish defense is universal conscription and a well-developed network of civilian shelters, which until recently in many European countries were considered a relic of the past. Conscription also acts as a social glue that binds a country’s population together through a shared experience. “Walk into a bar and ask: Who knows how to shoot an anti-tank weapon?” “All the men will stand up,” said Oscari Jaakkola, a reservist lieutenant.
- While other countries were getting rid of military equipment, Finland was buying it at a reasonable price. In 2002, Germany sold 124 Leopard tanks deemed unnecessary to the Finns for less than 1 million euros each. Today, a new tank can cost 12 million euros.
- During the exercises, the Finnish Army does not practice local operations, but rather conducts combined arms operations in the event of a major war. They doubt that modern technologies such as drones alone will change the situation on the battlefield. In their opinion, in the war against Russia, Ukraine was forced to use drones to compensate for the lack of infantry and heavy equipment. Although the Finnish military also operates with drones, the main strategy to contain and repel a potential Russian attack is built on the ability to operate on its territory. This includes snow, forest, long distances and off-road conditions.
- Finland uses not only military structures, but also civilian structures in defence. There is a voluntary association “Dar al-Jundi” in the country. It works to support the military and organize their free time. Bloomberg tells how during the exercise “Finnish volunteer grandmothers” from the “Soldier’s House” prepared coffee and baked cakes for the army. “When a country’s security depends on conscripting some 24,000 young men into service each year and sending them into the Arctic wilderness, a sense of support – a sense of home – becomes more than an act of kindness. It is a strategic resource,” Liam Denning writes.
- The Finnish military believes that the Russian-Ukrainian war has exhausted Russian forces. At least the ground forces that were recently stationed near the Finland border. According to the Finns, after the peace agreement with Ukraine, regardless of the conditions reached, Russia will need three to five years to restore its strength, and about 10 years to modernize its army. On the other hand, Russia has already begun to restore infrastructure along the Finnish border.