A record number of people in Finland’s army reserve have switched to civilian service this year following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Officials claim the trend does not pose difficulties for the country’s national defence.
The number of requests to be transferred from the army reserve to civilian service has surged this year, from just 460 applications in 2021 to over 3,300 so far this year. The trend started at the beginning of the year but surged in March following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February. While some believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has likely played a role in the surge of applications, broadcaster YleCivil service director Mikko Reijonen stated that the Russian invasion very likely played a role in the number of requests to leave the army reserve, however, saying that “[p]ossibly, at that point, many people have also thought about whether their conviction is the same” — but claimed that he did not see the trend as an issue for Finland’s national defence.
“The size of Finland’s reserve is around 900,000 people, so this is a small number. It must also be remembered that those who are required to complete supplementary service are given a very good week-long training. Thanks to it, they get the skills to act in everyday crises and are also assigned to various tasks in exceptional circumstances,” he said.
Finnish Chief of Defence Timo Kivinen has warned Russia that his country has been preparing for decades for a possible attack and Russia would meet stiff resistance should an attack occur.
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