Finland to Begin Purchasing and Manufacturing Anti-Personnel Mines in 2026

Finland will begin purchasing and manufacturing anti-personnel mines after withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention.

This was announced on the Finnish Army’s website.

The country officially left the Ottawa Convention on January 10, 2026.

This move allows the military to begin purchasing the relevant munitions and start training for their use.

Active servicemen, reservists, and conscripts will undergo training on the responsible use of mines: how to mark them, document and control their use, as well as select areas where they can be deployed to avoid harm or injury to civilians and their own units.

At the initial stage, directed fragmentation charges will be used, as they can also function as mines, and they are already in service with the Finnish army.

New anti-personnel mines are also planned to be developed in collaboration with the domestic defense industry, with subsequent production in Finland.

Negotiations with Finnish arms companies are set to start in early 2026.

Meanwhile, the armed forces will monitor the development of anti-personnel mines and the potential for foreign supplies, if necessary.

It is noted that the anti-personnel mines planned for purchase will be simple, affordable, and easy to use.

More advanced technologies for deploying anti-personnel mines will be considered at a later stage. These will include, for example, sophisticated sensors, the ability for remote control, remote delivery, and automatic neutralization.

Last July, Militarnyi reported that Finland and Lithuania plan to begin the production of anti-personnel mines in 2026, both for their own use and for supplying Ukraine, due to the military threat posed by Russia.