World

Finland Studies Ukraine‑Style Anti‑Tank Barriers Amid Russia’s Re‑armament

By list.metadata.agency

Finland is evaluating Ukraine‑style anti‑tank obstacles to strengthen its 1,340‑kilometre border with Russia, as it works to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank against a rapidly rearming adversary. Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki, commander of the Finnish Army, told reporters that Russia has already begun rebuilding its military capacity, even as its full‑scale invasion of Ukraine enters a fifth year. In that conflict, Kyiv’s forces have relied on extensive defensive lines and anti‑tank obstacles to slow attackers, and neither side has found a reliable way to break through them and restore large‑scale movement, Välimäki said.

Finland, which shares about half of NATO’s land frontier with Russia, must assess how structures similar to those used in Ukraine would perform in harsh northern weather. “Conditions in Finland are more challenging,” Välimäki said. “If we build fortifications and dig anti‑tank ditches or obstacles as deep as those in Ukraine, how long does it take before our environment turns them into artificial ponds?”

Russia’s efforts to replenish its weapons stockpiles are starting to show effects, with T‑90 tanks, BMP‑3 infantry fighting vehicles and 2S19 self‑propelled howitzers being delivered to storage sites. Finland cannot prevent that re‑arming, but its goal is to deter Russia by convincing its military that an attack would fail. “Everything we are doing now is about creating a threshold so that Russia does not go any further, whether we are talking about the alliance or Finland,” Välimäki said.

Finland has maintained conscription and territorial defense reserves since the Cold War, even as many European nations reduced their forces. With a population of 5.6 million, its military can call on about 280,000 troops in wartime. When the war in Ukraine began, Finland improved its readiness and put 60,000 people through refresher training over two years, and it quickly began replenishing stocks of critical materiel.

The country is now carrying out an overhaul of its land forces that will run through the end of the 2030s, covering equipment, force structure, readiness and the capacity to sustain combat. The basic approach—deterring an attack by being prepared—has not changed, Välimäki said. What has changed is the scale required. “The scale of the ammunition, production systems and trained personnel that we need to have ready for use is different from what it was before 2022,” he said. “It has to be larger, more sustainable and technologically more advanced than before.”

Finland will spend at least as much on the land‑force overhaul as on its ongoing strategic Navy and Air Force programs combined, the Defense Ministry said in a written statement. Those programs have total funding of €11.6 billion. As part of a broader procurement drive, Finland is expanding its Hanwha Aerospace Co. Ltd. K9 self‑propelled howitzer fleet, modernising its heavy multiple‑launch rocket systems to fire almost 500 kilometres, and preparing to replace its BMP‑2 infantry fighting vehicles.

Attacks on Ukraine have shown the scale of the air and missile threat Finland may face. Under the alliance’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Line concept, it isn’t enough to shoot down incoming missiles and drones—defenders must also be able to strike the launchers before they fire, Välimäki said. “For Finns, this is a difficult issue, because it means hitting targets on the Russian side,” he added.

Finland has already begun replacing its F/A‑18 Hornets with 64 Lockheed Martin Corp. F‑35A fighters, with the first aircraft delivered. It has also ordered Israel’s David’s Sling missile‑defence system, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., which has seen extensive action in the Iran war.

Välimäki rejects the idea that new technology has made traditional weapons obsolete. Drones have become a major part of the battlefield, he said, adding that they are only one element to consider. Ukraine has also underscored the need to replenish equipment and ammunition during a prolonged conflict, and Välimäki wants domestic production that can expand rapidly. “What I would like Finland to have is the ability to scale for mass‑production in large volumes—production for readiness and daily training consumption that can be maintained in peacetime and scaled up tenfold in crisis and conflict,” he said.

The push reflects a fundamental constraint on how Finland can fight a much larger opponent on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “We do not want a war of attrition,” Välimäki said. “We are a country of five million people, and we cannot operate on that logic.”