As Russia threats loom, Finland’s people are learning to shoot back

Associated Press

KERAVA, Finland (AP) — People in Finland have been left unsettled by expansionist neighbor Russia and inspired by its recent accession to NATO, are increasingly taking national self-defense into their own hands. The popularity of military training has soared in recent months in the Nordic country, where few places reflect the growing fad for personal security than shooting ranges, which are riding a wave of interest. Finland has also kept most of its Cold-War era underground civil defense shelters, and military training is experiencing a boom in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.