The Independent — 2026-03-23

With her freshly manicured long pink nails, Nicole pushes the next round of ammunition into the magazine and loads her rifle. She then adjusts her ear protectors, lies down and positions herself carefully behind the AK15.

The first shot misses her target, 100 metres across a snowy expanse, but the second hits with sharp clang and Nicole continues to make hit after hit, shifting into a seated position and then standing with the heavy gun pressed against her shoulder.

Earlier that day Nicole San Juan, 35, had come bounding into the shooting range in the Kanta-Häme region of Finland with fluffy Disney toys swinging off her backpack along with a glittery framed photo of herself and her boyfriend. Barely over 5ft tall, her slight frame stands out among the broad-shouldered, bearded men dressed in camo. But Nicole is far from alone. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, an increasing number of women in Finland are learning to shoot and familiarising themselves with firearms.

Suvi Aksela, communications manager for Naisten Valmiusliitto – the Women’s National Emergency Preparedness Association of Finland – tells The Independent that following the invasion, her organisation’s phones were “ringing nonstop” with women interested in training. She says: “The first question we were asked was ‘how can I help? What can I do?’” The second question? “Where can I learn to shoot?”

The Vantaa Reservists, the group to which Nicole belongs and which is holding this shooting training at the Loppi shooting range, had around 950 members at the end of 2021. Today their number stands at 2,312, with some 170 of these reservists being women. Nicole signed up to the Vantaa Reservists shortly after February 2022.

She says: “When the war in Ukraine started I saw these images of women fleeing and vulnerable. I realised that I could be in that situation too and I don’t have any skills.” Nicole now attends shooting training regularly and is working to earn enough hours to apply for a licence to buy her own gun. She says: “I think it’s important for a woman like me to know how to use them [guns] to protect ourselves in the worst-case scenario.”

The previous Friday evening, 25 of the female reservists had gathered for a girls’ night where they ate cake, had a sauna and compared weaponry. Nicole points out that women often have different preferences to men when it comes to firearms – although you may assume they would rather a lighter pistol, she prefers a rifle as they are easier to adjust with smaller hands. The

AK15 that Nicole is shooting today is a type of assault rifle used by the special operations units of the Russian military.

Helena Laasjorvi lives in Mantsala around 50km north of Helsinki and is also a member of the Vantaa Reservists. She says: “It’s really important for me to know how to use guns because of the situation we have with our neighbour. Everyone should be able to protect themselves and their families.”

Not only does Finland share a 1,343km-long border with Russia, but the country lost territory to the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939-1940, a painful memory that has been passed down through generations. In the face of the hostile neighbour to the east, drawn sharply into focus by Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014 and full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Finnish government has developed a strategy of “comprehensive security” that involves all parts of society taking responsibility for defence.

Lt Col Annukka Ylivaara, assistant secretary general of the government’s security committee, explains: “We emphasise the role of individuals as security actors.” While Naisten Valmiusliitto does not deal with firearms, the organisation runs courses in security and preparedness. Recognisable in their distinct purple beanie hats that are worn with military-style camouflage, the women learn skills such as first aid, field catering, and off-road driving. In addition, the group organises weekend exercises to teach survival skills, often camping out in the forest.

These courses have always been popular, but Aksela says demand was so high for the first ones to launch after the invasion of Ukraine that the system completely crashed, with 800 women waiting in a queue online. Even today, the courses usually fill up within a minute. Aksela adds: “Our strategy in Finland is to be so prepared that no one wants to even try. The message we want to share with the world is that we are able, capable and willing to defend what’s ours.”

Ulla Mattila, 51, has been on a number of the trainings and is now a volunteer with Naisten Valmiusliitto. Like many women, she started to research these courses after the invasion of Ukraine four years ago. She tells The Independent: “In the first days of war it looked like they were just going to roll the tanks throughout the whole country and there was no stopping them. There was the feeling that this could have happened to us.”

The National Defence Training Association of Finland, (MPK) runs training for civilians designed to support the readiness of the Finnish Defence Forces, with the shooting training proving particularly popular. Training director Kari Pietiläinen estimates around 1 million rounds were fired last year, but suggests that this pales in comparison to how many the reservists would have shot.

As with the reservists, MPK has seen a surge in activity since 2022. In 2021, the organisation recorded 48,000 training days; in 2025 the number was close to 149,000, with a little over 32,000 of these days attributed to women.

With a strong culture of hunting and sport shooting, Finland has the highest rate of gun ownership in the EU and one of the highest in Europe. According to the Ministry of the Interior, there are around 1.5 million licensed firearms in Finland with approximately 460,000 licence holders, in a country with a total population of a little over 5.6 million. There are currently around 670 shooting ranges in Finland like the one at Loppi, but the Finnish government plans to open around 300 more, bringing the total to around 1,000.

Finland consistently ranks highly when it comes to the willingness of citizens to defend their country in the event of attack. A survey by the Advisory Board for Defence Information conducted at the end of 2025 found that 80 per cent of the 1,072 respondents would be willing to participate in national defence operations in the event of an attack.

Akela says: “Why do we want to defend this country? Because this is our home and we love it. It is in our DNA.” Nicole’s parents are from the Philippines, but she was born in Germany and moved to Finland when she was a young girl. “I want to protect my country,” she says. I have an immigrant background but I grew up here, and what we have here is something very special.”

When asked if she would take up arms to defend her country, Helena also doesn’t hesitate:”‘Of course.” She adds: “We want peace but if there is a situation with Russia, we know what to do.”