Finland is seeking to acquire one million anti-personnel mines in a €100 million plan to strengthen its defences amid growing concern over the threat from Russia.
Helsinki wants Finnish manufacturers to supply the munitions, with contracts signed by the end of 2027 and production starting in 2028. Buying the mines from overseas remains an option, however.
Colonel Riku Mikkonen, of the Finnish Army Command, said officials were collecting information from potential suppliers. He told the Finnish news agency STT that about half a dozen Finnish companies could qualify to produce the mines.
“It would be useful in many ways if Finnish companies produced the anti-personnel mines in Finland,” Colonel Mikkonen said. “However, at this stage, buying the mines from abroad is not totally ruled out.”
Finland’s withdrawal from landmine treaty
The move follows Finland’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, an international treaty designed to eliminate anti-personnel landmines and oversee the destruction of stockpiles.
Finland joined the convention in 2012 but announced in April 2025 that it would leave, citing a worsening security situation. It stopped being bound by the agreement in January.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have also withdrawn from the treaty, saying they face a potential threat from Moscow.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has described Russia, which shares Finland’s eastern border, as a long-term threat. The two countries have a frontier of about 1,340 kilometres.
Finland has strengthened its defences since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Helsinki has also reported that migrants have been pushed across the border from the east, amid accusations that Moscow is conducting hybrid warfare against countries supporting Ukraine.
Finland’s plan marks a significant shift from its previous commitment to eliminating anti-personnel mines, as it prepares for what officials regard as a more dangerous security environment on its eastern flank.
