Finland to Build a Million Landmines as Russian Threat Looms

Finland is preparing to reintroduce anti-personnel landmines after formally withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention (withdrawal effective January 10, 2026), moving to restore its pre-2012 stockpile with a procurement program for roughly one million mines and an overall price tag near $110 million. Officials say the program will seek two domestically made types - a tripwire-triggered tube mine and a pressure-activated step mine - with production aimed to begin in 2028, initial mines and training kit available in 2027, and final deliveries stretching into the 2030s. Procurement remains in the preparatory and market-review phase, with technical specifications being drawn up and competitive tenders expected next; no contracts have yet been signed. The program could later expand to include more advanced or cluster-type devices similar to those seen in Ukraine.

The policy reflects Finland’s long-standing territorial-defense doctrine - shaped by historical conflicts with the Soviet Union, a roughly 800-mile border with Russia, and NATO membership since April 2023 - prioritizing rapid mobilization and measures that make invasion costly. Authorities stress mines would not be emplaced in peacetime and would form one element among artillery, fortifications, engineering obstacles, anti-vehicle mines and reserve forces. The move follows broader regional moves by eastern NATO members and raises humanitarian concerns because anti-personnel mines can maim civilians long after conflict, which is why they were banned under the Ottawa treaty.