Finland’s quiet confidence: How one small nation has become a defense role model for Europe

As Russian military presence expands across Finland’s eastern border, the Finns seemed relatively unfazed. With 1,340 kilometres (832 miles) of shared border, Finland has the longest frontier with Russia of any European Union country. But in the event of aggression from Russia, over 80% of Finns say they would defend their country—among the highest rate in Europe.

It would not be a new thing for the Finns. From the trenches of the Winter War launched by the Soviet Union against Finland in 1939, to NATO’s high-tech command rooms of 2025, Finland a country of 5.6 million has quietly positioning itself as one of Europe’s most prepared nations for war.

Lauri Puranen, retired Finnish Major General and former Commander of the Airforce, reflects on what he believes Finland has been doing right, beginning with drawing lessons from Ukraine.

Learning from Ukraine

For Puranen, the war in Ukraine is a rich source of insight, but also a reminder not to fight the last war.

“The Finnish Defence Forces and NATO are analysing Ukraine’s war very carefully, but we must always remember that no two wars are alike,” he says. “The military capabilities of the warring parties, terrain, climate, societal resilience, economy—these all play a role when drawing lessons.”

One striking observation Puranen makes, is how a then relatively poorly equipped and trained Ukraine in 2022, is still managing to hold off one of the world’s leading military powers. “Despite numerical superiority, Russia has failed to achieve significant success on the battlefield. The conflict has bogged down into trench warfare and widespread attacks on civilian infrastructure—hospitals, schools, private homes. And yet, Ukraine’s resilience has held.”

Russia’s weaknesses have been equally evident. “We’ve seen serious deficiencies in Russian weapons systems, training, and strategy,” Puranen observes. “But perhaps the most critical weakness lies in air warfare. Even with its larger air force, Russia has not been able to achieve air superiority over Ukraine, partly thanks to Western support. According to Puranen, that has forced them to rely on long-range missile strikes and drones instead of the kind of mass bombing campaigns they carried out in Syria.

Still, Puranen warns against complacency. “Russia can rapidly shift their economy to a wartime footing and they’ve shown they’re willingness to absorb huge losses.” From Finland’s perspective, Puranen can list several key lessons to carry forward:

• Wars are not always short; Russia is prepared for long-term conflict.
• Modern war touches entire societies, not just frontlines.
• Russia disregards international treaties and norms.
• New technologies like drones are important, but they don’t replace traditional capabilities.

“Above all,” says Puranen, “we have to recognise that NATO’s military capability is at a completely different level than Ukraine’s. With NATO’s assets, the nature of the war—tactics, equipment, the balance of power—would be very different.”

Building public resilience

While NATO’s vast capabilities give Finland confidence, Puranen argues the nation’s strength begins closer to home with the resilience of the Finnish people.

One of Finland’s key advantages comes from its society-wide approach to defense. In the event of an attack, Finland can shelter almost its entire population underground. The country has more than 50,500 bomb shelters with beds for 4.8 million people, built into residential buildings and designed to be stocked and operational within 24 hours’ notice.

“We Finns value our independence and welfare society and want to ensure its continuation,” says Puranen. “The experiences of the Winter War and Continuation War, post-war Soviet pressure on Finland, and the fate of the Baltic states are still well known among Finns. These experiences, along with a history of military non-alignment, have underpinned our determination to maintain national defence and general conscription.”

Conscription is the backbone of Finland’s military readiness but also a strong unifying force. “The Defence Forces are familiar to nearly all citizens, strengthening trust and resolve,” he explains. About 70% of Finnish men complete conscription, and a growing number of volunteer women. Through them, their families and friends gain insight into the military, building public confidence in Finland’s defense capabilities.

Denmark has just introduced gender-neutral conscription from July 2025. Could Finland follow suit? Puranen is cautious. The current male age cohorts are sufficient to produce the necessary wartime strength of around 300,000 soldiers. “This can only be achieved through conscription, which already has broad support among policymakers and the public,” Puranen says. “If conscription were made mandatory for women as well, we would be training more soldiers than needed for the reserve, and would have to significantly expand our current military infrastructure.”

 Collective defense through NATO and Europe

While the primary responsibility for Finland’s defence, lies at home, Puranen stresses NATO membership and the alliance’s Article 5 on collective defence as a powerful deterrent—especially now that Russia has shown its willingness to invade a sovereign neighbour.

“NATO is the only true defence organisation in Europe, and it would not be wise to try and build a competing one,” says Puranen. Instead, he believes Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security within NATO and points to Finland as a country setting the right example.

There is broad political consensus in Finland to raise defence spending to meet the targets agreed at NATO’s summer summit. But as a caution Puranen adds: “It is essential that the funds are used wisely and cost-effectively to maximise the resulting military capabilities.”

From trenches to high-tech

Finland is committed to integrating new technologies, including drones, electronic warfare, long-range precision weapons, and cyber defence, while keeping its societal readiness intact.

“Of course, Finland’s resources are limited, and not all military capabilities can be developed sufficiently on our own,” Puranen acknowledges. “That’s why the country’s recent entry into NATO is so significant in ensuring Finland is no longer alone and that we do not need to possess all capabilities independently.

At the same time, the European Union is increasingly recognising the strategic importance of Finland’s eastern border for Europe’s wider security. The EU has recently proposed more than €1 billion in extra funds for strengthening the eastern frontier, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the region in 2024 to demonstrate Brussels’ support.

However, Finland remains a small country with a long border. Also as Puranen warns, “Russia is likely learning from its mistakes and Finland must stay vigilant.” And there are other risks. And recently, the Kremlin has again brought up the specter of nuclear weapons, with Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, reminding the West that Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if attacked with nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction.