The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has completed an inventory of bomb and missile-proof shelters, revealing that there are 50,500 shelters in the country. This effort was driven by the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine last year. Finland joined NATO in April, marking a historic shift in its security policy, although it has remained vigilant against the possibility of conflict with Russia for decades, having resisted an attempted invasion by the Soviet Union during World War II.
Since the early 1950s, Finland has mandated the construction of emergency shelters beneath residential and commercial buildings, which accounts for the large number of shelters currently available. The government survey concluded that the country, which has a population of 5.5 million, has approximately 50,500 bomb-proof shelters capable of accommodating 4.8 million people in case of an emergency or attack. The survey also found that 91% of the shelters are robust enough to withstand conventional weapon attacks, while 83% are equipped to provide protection against gas emissions or nuclear emergencies.
