Finland has restarted training conscripts to use antipersonnel mines, following its formal break from the Ottawa Treaty earlier this year. The first soldiers to receive the training describe the weapons as effective and necessary for modern defense.
"It is functional, and especially effective, you can certainly cause destruction with it," said Lance Corporal Arttu Kiviniemi, speaking alongside Private Onni Pääkkönen on the training grounds of the Kainuu Brigade in Kajaani. The two conscripts from the Pohja Engineer Battalion, along with two other comrades, are the first to be trained in infantry mine warfare since Finland disentangled itself from the international ban, which took effect on January 10th. The Finnish Defence Forces have now rapidly initiated training and the procurement of new, modern mines.
First Training Since Treaty Withdrawal
Kiviniemi and Pääkkönen are in clear agreement on whether Finland's return to using antipersonnel mines after a roughly fourteen-year hiatus is justified. "I think it's a good thing. However, during war, antipersonnel mines provide security for our own troops and they are indeed an effective tool. I consider them a good instrument," Kiviniemi stated emphatically, with Pääkkönen nodding beside him. The conscripts, who began their service last summer, had prior experience with the Claymore-type directional fragmentation charge, but deploying it as a booby-trapped mine without observer-initiated detonation was previously prohibited.
Deploying the 'Claymore' Mine
The training currently focuses on using these directional fragmentation charges, commonly called "Claymores," as other types of antipersonnel mines are not yet in the inventory. The soldiers recently demonstrated the installation process on the snowy Hoikankangas training area. After a brisk 40-meter dash through deep snow, the charge in its mount is fixed to a tree. This is followed by laying the explosive tripwire back to the starting position and setting a tripwire between trees. Finally, a pull igniter with a detonation cord is attached to the tripwire.
Once armed, the mine is triggered by stepping on the tripwire, which activates the igniter, the detonation cord, and finally the main charge. In a real scenario, it would fire over 900 metal pellets in a wide arc. For training, a plastic practice version without explosives is used. "In a real situation, the tripwire would be set, for example, in that young forest where it's hard to spot, and it would be further camouflaged with snow," explained Lieutenant Joona Rättö, who is training the engineers in infantry mine use.
Stockpiles and Domestic Industry
The Defence Forces are using existing stocks of these mines for the initial training phase. A supply of older Austrian-made and newer domestically produced fragmentation charges from Finnish company Forcit is available in warehouses. These systems were permissible under the Ottawa Treaty for command-detonated use, allowing stocks to be maintained. Their adaptation for use as victim-activated mines is now a key new tactical procedure being taught. The rapid rollout of this training underscores the military's priority to integrate the capability across relevant units, with engineers and infantry likely to be the primary users. Lieutenant Rättö's role highlights the train-the-trainer approach being taken to scale the knowledge.
Strategic Shift in Finnish Defense
This practical training on the ground is the direct result of a significant policy shift. Finland's departure from the Ottawa Treaty, which it signed in 1997 and ratified in 2012, was driven by a radically changed security environment in Europe. Military planners argued that the defensive use of antipersonnel mines is a crucial force multiplier for a nation with a long border and a small population. The weapons are seen as a way to channel and delay advancing enemy forces, buying critical time for mobilization and reinforcement. The conscripts' feedback from the training grounds directly validates the tactical rationale presented by defense officials during the political debate over the treaty withdrawal.