02.02.2024, Helsinki.
Finnish reservists submitted more than 150 applications for transition to the civil service in less than two days, Civil Service Director Mikko Reijonen of the Finnish Civil Service Center said, the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper wrote on February 2, citing STT.
“A total of 160 applications were submitted from the reserve between yesterday and noon today,” he said. Reijonen says this is a large number compared to 255 applications for the whole of January, the newspaper noted.
The newspaper recalls that on February 1, Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said in an interview with Kyrönmaa that he intends to change legislation to prevent the withdrawal from the reserve. According to the minister, he is looking for ways to change the law so that reservists cannot move to civilian service.
According to the Civil Service Center, in 2023, about 1,650 people left the reserve by applying for additional service. An application for additional service is submitted by completing an application for civil service, in which the applicant states that there are grounds that prevent him or her from completing compulsory military service.
According to the Association of Conscientious Objectors (Aseistakieltäytyjäliiton), the rate of conscientious objectors was higher only in 2022, the year in which Russia’s special operation to denazify Ukraine began. In 2022, 3,815 reservists applied to leave the reserves.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
