In a rock‑cut civil defence shelter, behind blast‑resistant doors, two Finnish conscripts in hazmat suits and breathing masks measure radiation levels during a drill that transforms the cave into a refuge for thousands.
Hundreds of participants sleep on camp beds inside what is normally a sports hall, part of the overnight drill.
Over 2,000 volunteers, students and other participants are engaged in Europe’s largest civil‑defence exercise since the end of World War II.
The scenario depicts a disruption of Kuopio’s critical infrastructure – power and water – caused by cyber‑attacks, coupled with the threat of missile strikes from neighbouring Russia.
Local authorities and civilians rehearse the actions they would take under real attack.
Nevertheless, underground bunkers and shelters provide limited protection against missiles but cannot defend against the sabotage and disruption campaign that Western officials allege Russia is waging across Europe.
These actions include setting fires, attacking water and power facilities, and dispatching sabotage drones into EU airspace.
Finland’s border with Russia extends for more than 1,300 km, from the Baltic Sea to the Arctic Circle.
In 2024 Finland, together with Sweden, acceded to NATO following Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine. Prior to that, Finland had prepared to defend itself against Russia largely on its own.
Lessons from Ukraine
According to retired Army Colonel Asko Muhonen, Finland’s defence rests not only on its military but on the “mindset” of ordinary Finns who are prepared to assume responsibility for the nation’s security.
Muhonen, who organised the Kuopio drill, attributes this in part to Finland’s conscription system, which endured even after the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Some are reluctant to perform national service, yet “it’s our duty to serve and protect this country as our predecessors did – that is why we have our independence,” said 23‑year‑old conscript Jyry Pietikainen, who learned to manage the Kuopio shelter overnight.
Finland must also learn from Ukraine’s experience, Muhonen added.
Kuopio’s largest shelter can house up to 7,000 people, whereas Ukrainians often have only a few minutes to reach a subway station or underground car park.
Consequently, people need easily accessible shelters that provide some protection, even if they cannot withstand a nuclear strike, he explained.
University student Dmytro Untila, 20, from Odesa, was sheltering in his building’s entrance hall on 24 February 2022 – the first day of the war – because he had nowhere else to go.
Such training would certainly have helped in Ukraine, he noted, “because nobody expected this could happen.”
The principal threats to energy infrastructure in the Kuopio region are severe weather conditions such as heavy snowfall, storms and bad weather, according to Juha Räsänen, CEO of Savon Voima electricity company.
Since the invasion of Ukraine and the company’s decision to stop purchasing Russian biofuel, the frequency of cyber‑attacks on the network has risen sharply, Räsänen said.
In the past year engineers discovered at least ten stickers on vulnerable points of the energy‑network infrastructure. Other Finnish energy firms have reported similar finds but remain unsure of their origin, he said.
“An explosion at that location could destroy an entire dam,” Räsänen warned. Drones have also been observed hovering over power lines, but those responsible have not been identified, he added.
Because it is impossible to guard against every threat, Räsänen noted, it is vital that people be prepared to look after themselves unaided for at least 72 hours in the event of a power outage or water contamination.
Finland’s Security and Intelligence Service said it examined “a wide range of observations” and found nothing of concern.
Since 2022 heightened vigilance has led citizens to report a variety of items, including reflective stickers linked to land‑survey works, the agency said. Drone sightings, it added, have “largely been explained by ordinary activities.”
“Small incidents occur continuously,” Vuokko Lahtinen, 32, said while visiting a sauna in Kuopio, citing examples such as Russian GPS jamming.
She argued that “the best defence for Finland is to make the country undesirable as a target.”
This defence depends not only on Finland’s military and defence forces but also on citizens who feel “we have something worth fighting for,” she explained.
In Finland there is a “general sense of responsibility” that has developed through local community groups and initiatives such as recycling, she noted.
“Doing things that matter can create a butterfly‑wing effect,” Lahtinen observed, “even on a simple daily level.”
Finland vs the Soviet Union
During its conflicts with the Soviet Union Finland lost roughly 11 % of its territory, and more than 400,000 people—about 12 % of the population—fled homes from territory now located in western Russia.
At Kuopio’s veterans’ museum 95‑year‑old Risto Mönkkönen displayed a handwritten list of dates when the city was bombed and the names of those who died.
“I cannot forget it,” he said, recalling how, as a child, he and his father rushed into a shelter just as a bomb struck, killing five of his father’s friends.
Pirkko Naukkarinen, 102, remembered how, at age 16, she worked in a field kitchen near the front lines, sharing dugouts with soldiers and diving for cover in ditches as Soviet aircraft attacked the retreating Finnish army.
Aili Toivanen, 92, recounted being forced to flee her home twice during the various conflicts. On both occasions Finnish soldiers gave the family one hour to gather their belongings.
The first time, she looked back to see her house engulfed in flames, deliberately set by Finnish soldiers who did not want to leave anything behind, she said.
The second time, she said, Soviet aircraft bombed their departing train, forcing them to jump out, hide in ditches and eventually seek refuge in Kuopio.
When Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, she said, tears welling up, she feared she might have to abandon her home for a third time.
A country worth fighting for
Thousands of people, including schoolchildren and university students, entered the Kuopio shelter.
“Children need to understand this because they might have to act on their own; adults cannot always help,” said 11‑year‑old Amanda Hill, whose school spent the day rehearsing in the shelter.
Sitting on the shelter floor with his fellow conscripts, Pietikainen explained why rehearsing crisis scenarios is not unreasonable.
“As Finns we tend to be somewhat pessimistic about life,” he said, “but history shows what can happen with Russia.”
Regarding threats from Moscow, Muhonen advised, “don’t believe what they say but watch what they do.”
