the 50,500 shelters already ready for a nuclear war

And in a way it is also like that.

Several meters underground is one of the 50,500 shelters that are hidden in the depths of Finland. Bunkers intended to protect the civilian population in the event of let a war break out or a natural disaster occurs. Explosions, building collapses, gases, radiation… the walls of these cavities are capable of resisting almost anything. The Nordic country began to build them during the years of the Cold War to respond to the threat of nuclear conflict. Since then the web has not stopped expanding.

After the Soviet Union occupied part of its territory in 1939, Helsinki has always viewed its eastern neighbor, with which it shares a border of 1,349 kilometers. Not even his non-alignment after the Second World War, which guaranteed him some peace in a world divided in two, made him change his mind. Finland continued to protect itself. Hence its vast network of air raid shelters – which has the capacity almost 90% of the population, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior– is today a key piece of your national defense system.

In times of peace, however, these underground spaces are far from resembling a place to shelter. Most are privately owned and are used as warehouses, leisure areas with swimming pools, cafes, parking lots or sports facilities, such as Kontula. Of course, with the condition that they are emptied and adapted as a shelter in 72 hoursthe period estimated by the authorities to respond in an emergency.

“Now I feel much safer down here. My colleagues and I always joke that if the war starts there will be a horde of skaters survivors skating,” he explains with a laugh Hessam Jalali, center instructor. The young man acknowledges that he does not talk much with his friends about the possibility of his country being dragged into an armed conflict. Not even now that Finland has become a member of NATO. Of course, Jalali is aware that, if he passes, he will not be free from wearing the uniform. “Obviously they will call me up. I am a reservist“he clarifies.

With a key geostrategic position, a huge surface area and a small population (today of barely 5.5 million inhabitants in 338,462 km²), the Nordic country has always been very exposed to external aggression. That is why it has been developing a culture for decades of national defense that encompasses the entire society.

Military service, for example, It is mandatory for men when they turn 18 and voluntary for women. In both cases, after ending the conscription, which lasts between 6 and 12 months, recruits become part of the reserve until they are 60 years old. In total, it is estimated that almost a third of the population is reservists. Or in other words: has to 900,000 fighters ready to act.

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Beyond the Army, everything (and everyone) in Finland is prepared for the worst scenario. The law requires buildings over 1,200 square meters to have their own shelter. That means any large hospital, industrial complex or school must have a safe space. Furthermore, Finland has some vast strategic reserves of food, medicine and fuel fossils up to six months old.

Who explains it to us is Nina Järvenkylä, Head of Communication at the Helsinki Rescue Department, while we take the elevator down to 20 meters underground. There is found Merihaka shelter, a coastal neighborhood in the Finnish capital. On the outside, a simple glass cubicle indicates that it is a parking lot. Just the poster with a blue triangle On a phosphor orange background it reveals its condition as a bunker. “If there was an emergency, we would go down down the metal stairs that are just on the other side; not by the elevator,” explains Järvenkylä.

On a daily basis, the people who visit this network of underground galleries of 14,750 square meters He does it to have a coffee, go to the gym, take his kids to the playground or play on the court. floorball, a sport similar to hockey that is very popular in northern Europe. But if there was a war, it could protect up to 6,000 people. “That they are used daily allows us to keep the shelters in good shape, because if someone sees something broken they let us know,” he details.

Built by the City Council in 2003 inside the granite rock, the refuge is entered through a zigzag hallway. “In this way, any shock wave collides with the wall before hitting the first door,” explains Järvenkylä. And he says first because there are always two, separated from each other by an intermediate space equipped with water taps. “The one on the outside stops the explosion and the other, any gas or radiation“, he maintains. And the middle area? “So that people can take off their clothes if they are contaminated and wash before entering.”

In the first area, yellow lines on the ground indicate the place where the nearly 400 portable latrines stored in the facilities would go. In an adjoining room, hundreds of fabric bunk beds. A couple of them are visible. “You can try them if you want, they are not very comfortable, but this is not a hotel; here you come to survive“says Järvenkylä.

At the Merihaka shelter everything is designed so that each gallery is used in eight-hour shifts. While 2,000 people sleep, another 2,000 are in charge of carrying out maintenance tasks, such as cleaning toilets or checking that ventilation systems or water tanks are working, and the remaining 2,000 spend their time as they want or can. “We have everything prepared so that chaos does not reign“laughs the expert from the Rescue Department of the Finnish capital.

If an attack were to occur, the citizens of Helsinki would hear the air raid sirens, which sound throughout the city every first Monday of the month at noon to verify that they are working. Then, people would have to go to the shelter that corresponds to them by area, with their own food (since cooking is not allowed inside), a sleeping bag, sheets and blankets.

Until recently, Järvenkylä acknowledges, no one thought about using these places as a refuge, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 completely changed the Finns' perception of security. “Now everyone knows where their nearest shelter is,” explains the expert. And she concludes: “Personally, I feel safer knowing that our bunkers are ready, but not because of the concrete walls, but because of how we show them to our neighbor that we are prepared to defend ourselves“.