By AFP | 2025-07-22

UPINNIEMI, Finland -- Wearing red overalls and thick rubber boots, women at a recent Finnish civil preparedness course jumped from a pier at a naval base into the chilly Baltic Sea.

The 28 women in the "safety at sea" course were glad to have secured a spot at one of the increasingly popular courses.

The training sessions are organized to prepare women for emergencies caused by power outages, natural phenomena, cyberattacks or military conflicts.

"Interest in preparedness courses has increased massively over the past few years, especially among women," Eija Eriksson, a volunteer leader at the weekend course, told AFP.

Eriksson is a member of the Women's National Emergency Preparedness Association, which organized the event in tandem with the National Defense Training Association of Finland (MPK).

She said such courses are booked "within minutes," ascribing this demand to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the COVID pandemic two years prior to that.

As she spoke, shooting echoed in the background at the Finnish coastal brigade's base in Upinniemi in the Gulf of Finland, where military training was under way at the same time.

Finland, which shares a 1,340km-long border with Russia, dropped decades of military nonalignment to join NATO in 2023 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian threat

Helsinki backs NATO's target for its members to spend 5% of their GDP on defense, mindful of the potential security threat posed by neighboring Russia.

A grand duchy since 1809, Finland declared independence from Russia in 1917 -- only to find itself fending off a Soviet invasion in 1939.

Helsinki put up a fierce fight but was forced to cede a huge stretch of Karelia province in a peace treaty with Moscow.

The country of 5.6 million has maintained a strong army over the years, with a wartime strength of 280,000 soldiers plus 870,000 reservists.

As part of its "total defense" strategy, Finland has emphasized preparedness as a civic skill.

Voluntary national defense training sessions, including both military and civil preparedness, have reached an all-time high.

More than 140,000 training days and a total of 3,272 courses took place in 2024, according to MPK.

About 20% of participants in 2024 were women, the Women's National Emergency Preparedness Association said.

"I think it is important not to be scared but prepared," Susanna Makela, a 46-year-old human resources specialist, told AFP after learning how to navigate a boat with a map and radar.

"It's very fun actually and also useful."

'We want to be prepared'

Many of the woman participants never had a chance to do military training and now want to learn about preparedness and defense, Eriksson explained.

Military service is mandatory in Finland for all men once they turn 18 but voluntary for women since 1995.

This year, a total of 1,448 women applied.

About 70% of Finnish women are ready to defend their country's borders, with willingness especially strong among women over 50, a recent survey by the Women's National Emergency Preparedness Association showed.

"We want to be prepared if Russia harms us -- maybe not necessarily directly in a war, but they can hurt us in other ways," said Johanna Piispa, a 48-year-old project manager and system engineer.

She was participating in another course on what to do during a power blackout, also taking place at the military base that weekend.

Divided into small groups on a field at the garrison's premises, the women practiced on generators of different sizes and power voltages, and discussed preparedness at home in case of an extended power outage.

While most of these courses are open to everyone, the all-female courses provide a safe space for women learning about skills traditionally ascribed to men, Piispa noted.

"I want to know how these machines work and be able to use them by myself because typically men are handling these things... I want to be able to protect myself, my family and others," she said.