Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago, Finland, which shares an 800-mile border with Russia, joined the Nato military alliance and began expanding its reservist forces amid fears that Vladimir Putin‘s irredentism could mean an invasion of Scandinavia next.
Tuomas, 27, is one of the guards who patrol the border with Russia. “When you are ready and prepared for these situations…then you don’t need to worry that much to be honest,” he told The i Paper.
A Finnish Border Guard official stands near the fence on the border between Finland and Russia near Imatra, Finland (Photo: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images)“A lot has changed” since the invasion. “Of course it’s concerning. Europe has lived so long without these kind of wars, so of course it makes you think about life and a lot of things… But also Finland has always been very well prepared.
“Russia is our neighbour and Russia is at the moment involved in Europe, so of course it concerns us in a way. But still, I believe we have nothing to be afraid of, I would say… We still come here every day to work, we go back home to sleep, so it’s normal life.”
A border guard officer walks along a fence marking the border area between Finland and Russia near the crossing of Pelkola, in Imatra, Finland (Photo: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images)Even during periods of diplomatic calm, Finnish defence policy has emphasised resilience, readiness, and strong border control. The country allocated €6.5 billion (£5.5 billion) for defence in 2025 — an increase of €536 million (£455.6 million) from 2024, equating to roughly 2.5 per cent of GDP.
Tuomas, who does not want his last name mentioned for security reasons, has served with the Finnish Border Guard for seven years. After finishing the mandatory military training, he began his studies at the Border and Coast Guard Academy in the city of Imatra.
Signs that indicate the two sides of the border between Finland – marked by blue and white – and Russia – marked by red and green (Photo: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)For Tuomas, other European countries including Britain would benefit from its citizens undergoing military training, by increasing its preparedness were the worst to happen.
Satellite images show signs of Russian rearmament at the Kamenka military base, where the Russian army has set up a tent camp that can accommodate a couple of thousand soldiers (Photo: Planet Labs PBC )
Since joining Nato in 2023, Finland has made it clear it is anything but complacent about the Russian threat.
The border between Russia and Finland consists mostly of forest with a 10-metre-wide area in the middle where the trees have been cut. “There are border signs — Russia and Finland. Finland has white and blue, Russia has red and green,” said Tuomas.
The Russian base in Petrozavodsk, Russia on 22 July 2024 (Photo: Planet Labs PBC )The same Russian base in Petrozavodsk on 5 June 2025 shows three additional warehouses, believed to be vehicle storage halls (Photo: Planet Labs PBC)In recent months, Russia has refurbished its Soviet-era military bases over the border, and transferred thousands of troops to the border. Earlier this month satellite images showed intensified activity at four military sites: Kamenka and Petrozavodsk near southern Finland, Severomorsk-2 and Olenya in the north. And in 2024, Russia reactivated the Leningrad Military District, near southern Finland.
square FINLAND UK to station military officials in Finland as Russian troops mass on the border
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Tuomas said: “The security situation in Europe is on people’s minds, especially in a country that shares a border with Russia, but they are not consumed by it and strive to go about their daily lives as usual.
Additional fencing has been added alongside parts of the Finnish-Russian border, including in Nuijamaa, Finland (Photo: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)
In the summertime, border guards use trucks, and in the winter, they drive snowmobiles. Tuomas said that during the colder months, he and his fellow border guards often patrolled on skis.
square FINLAND I’m a Brit living in Finland - this is how we’re preparing for war with Russia
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Sergeant Auvinen, 21, who has served in the Finnish military for about a year, said co-operation between countries was key.
Officer candidate Miska Männynsalo, 19, said people might think that training in the military would be tough, but there were also many positive things that come with the service, like finding long-term friends.
“This raises you as a human being, and your mental state will get much better. You learn so much about yourself here,” Männynsalo said.
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