Media: Ukraine conflict one of reasons causing wave of resignations by Finland’s army reservists
The Ukrainian conflict was one of the reasons for mass resignations from the Finnish army, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the Verkkouutiset newspaper
“Leaving the reserves, i.e., in other words, applying to switch to the civilian service after undergoing additional training, has become very common in Finland after Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen proposed a ban preventing reservists from leaving the army. <…> The conflict in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, also caused a surge in withdrawal from the reserve,” the publication reads.
Mikko Reijonen, the Head of Finland’s Civilian Service Centre, noted that in 2022, 3,800 Finn reservists resigned – a record figure. Since early 2024, 1,700 applications have already been submitted, of which 1,400 were submitted in February alone.
It is added that Finns who have completed compulsory military service and are in the reserve have the opportunity to switch to civilian service. To do this, they need to undergo a five-day retraining. The author of the publication underlines that it’s possible leave the reserve at any time.
