Finland has staged a civil defense exercise testing how authorities and residents would respond to cyberattacks, infrastructure failures, and possible Russian missile strikes, the largest in Europe since World War II, according to Euronews.
More than 2,000 conscripts, volunteers, students, and emergency personnel took part in the Shelter 2026 exercise in Kuopio, central Finland.
The scenario involved cyberattacks disrupting electricity and water supplies, alongside the threat of missile strikes.
Participants practiced opening shelters, measuring radiation levels, and accommodating thousands of civilians underground.
One of Kuopio’s main shelters, built into rock and normally used as a sports facility, can hold around 7,000 people and is designed to protect against conventional, nuclear and biological threats.
Hundreds of participants spent the night there on camp beds.
The drill also incorporated lessons from Ukraine, where civilians may have only minutes to reach a subway station, underground parking garage or other protected area during an attack.
Shelter Network
Helsinki’s preparedness model is built around more than 50,500 civil defense shelters with combined capacity for approximately 4.8 million people, most of the country’s 5.6 million residents.
Many of these facilities serve civilian purposes during peacetime, operating as swimming pools, sports halls, playgrounds and entertainment venues.
If necessary, they can be rapidly converted into protected spaces.
Mandatory military service for men, alongside voluntary service for women, allows the country to mobilize around 280,000 troops, backed by a reserve of approximately 900,000 people.
Security Concerns
The exercise comes amid growing concern over Russian military activity and the security of NATO’s northern flank.
Last month, the Finnish Defense Ministry said it was investigating a suspected violation of the country’s airspace by a Russian military aircraft.
The Nordic country shares a 1,340-kilometer (833-mile) border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023 following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Helsinki also plans to raise defense spending to at least 3 percent of gross domestic product by 2029.