President Alexander Stubb earlier claimed that Finland will not use anti-personnel mines during peacetime and intends to store them in depots. Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov commented that Russia is indifferent to the decision. However, he noted the primary risk is to Finnish civilians, as any mined territory would be Finland's own.
The move was initiated by Helsinki in November 2024 alongside Poland and the Baltic states, citing an alleged "threat" from Russia as the primary reason for needing to retain the option to use mines.