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KERAVA, Finland (AP) \u2014 Unsettled by Russia’s expansionism and emboldened by its recent accession to NATO<\/a>, Finland is rallying to strengthen its national self-defense beyond its traditional military capabilities.<\/p>\n The popularity of weapons training in the Nordic country has soared in recent months. Few places tell the story of the rise in Finnish affinity for self-defense more than shooting ranges that are riding a boom of interest.<\/p>\n Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s order for a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a> \u2014 another big Russian neighbor \u2014 in February 2022 continues to resonate in many Finnish minds, and partially explains the ballistics binge.<\/p>\n See for yourself \u2014 The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Vantaa Reservist Association, which operates a gun range in a warehouse once used to make sex toys, in Kerava, north of Helsinki, has more than doubled its membership over the last two years and now counts over 2,100 members.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have something in the back of their head ringing that this is the skill I have to learn now,\u201d said association chairman Antti Kettunen, standing among bullet-riddled targets. \u201cI think that the wind has changed, now it\u2019s blowing from the east.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the coalition government announced plans to open more than 300 new ranges \u2014 a big jump from the 670 in operation today.<\/p>\n Authorities are encouraging citizens to take up interest in national defense in the country with a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia, where firing shots in ice hockey has been more of a pastime than shooting bullets.<\/p>\n \u201cInterest in national defense is traditionally very high in Finland and especially these days with the Russian aggression on Ukraine, the interest has risen even more,\u201d lawmaker Jukka Kopra, who chairs Finland\u2019s defense committee, told AP earlier in December.<\/p>\n Inspired largely by concerns over Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, Finland became the 31st member<\/a> of the NATO military alliance last year. Western neighbor Sweden followed suit in March<\/a>. The two countries last month announced plans<\/a> to boost their civil defense strategies, without mentioning Russia by name.<\/p>\n The surge in self-defense strategies doesn\u2019t stop at shooting ranges.<\/p>\n The National Defense Training Association says it has hosted a collective total of 120,000 training days this year, more than double the number three years ago.<\/p>\n The national reservists’ association, which is about 90% composed of military reservists but also some hobbyists, has grown by more than two-thirds to over 50,000 members since the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n And unlike some other European countries, Finland has kept around 50,000 Cold-War era civil defense shelters, which could accommodate roughly 85% of the population of about 5.5 million people.<\/p>\n “This is the new era of civil defense shelters, which is against the newest developments of war,\u201d said Tomi Rask, of Helsinki Rescue Services, during a recent tour of one shelter in the capital. \u201cWe know that all of our neighbors have the capability of harming us, of harming our citizens, and we think that we need to prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n Wearing camouflage at the range in Kerava, military reservists and firearm hobbyists bob and weave their way through an obstacle course, at times opening fire with deafening Glock handguns against human-shaped targets.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people do this just for fun,\u201d said member Miikka Kallio, a 38-year-old firefighter. \u201cSome (do) maybe because of our eastern neighbor: I\u2019ve heard comments that they\u2019ve joined the reservists because of the Russian attack (on Ukraine.)\u201d<\/p>\nTrusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox<\/h4>\n