Inserts:

00:03 Report | Juri Rescheto
00:12 Juri Rescheto | DW Correspondent
00:46 Petri Huttunen | Emergency Services Academy Finland
01:32 Sonja Reinikka | Volunteer
02:27 Sonja Reinikka | Volunteer
02:43 Petri Huttunen | Emergency Services Academy Finland

 
Script:

VOICE OVER
Playing cards during a drone threat?
Knitting wool socks during a flood? 
That's only possible when people feel safe.

00:08 JURI ON CAM
Deep inside this mountain, more than 2,000 people are preparing for a crisis they hope never comes.
This is Luola, or the cave, in central Finland.
One of Europe's most sophisticated underground shelters.
We're going in.

00:24 VO
Residents from the nearby city of Kuopio have joined emergency services, volunteers, and local authorities for Shelter 2026, a large-scale civil defense drill.
The goal: to find out whether an entire community could function underground during a major crisis.

00:42 SOT Petri Huttunen, Emergency Services Academy Finland
"Inside, it is quite warm. So, maybe if people should stay there for like days, I think it would not be that nice. It´s a lot of noise, so everything that makes you stressed."

00:56 VO
At noon, the exercise begins.
For several hours, the shelter is sealed off from the outside world.
How do people react when they're confined underground? How much water is needed? Does the temperature remain comfortable? And can thousands of people manage day-to-day life in a space like this?
Questions officials say can only be answered through exercises like these.
Volunteer Sonja Reinikka is helping participants learn about one of the most basic necessities: safe drinking water.

01:29 SOT Sonja Reinikka, Volunteer
"I want to help my community stay safe. That is why I am here. It is a really big space. You can have 7.000 people in here. 72 hours is a normal time you could stay."

01:43 VO
Many Finns share that sense of responsibility.
Finland's strong culture of preparedness is shaped by both geography and history.
The country shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023, one year after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
For many Finns, Russia's war in Ukraine revived memories of the Winter War of 1939-1940, when Finland fought the Soviet Union to preserve its independence. The conflict left a lasting mark on the country and helps explain why preparedness remains a national priority today.

02:25 SOT Sonja Reinikka, Volunteer
"My grandfather fought in the war, so that Finland could be independent. So, it is really important to me, to past Finland, to the next generation. So, it is my watch, and we are keeping Finland safe."

02:47 SOT Petri Huttunen, Emergency Services Academy Finland
"Russia is our neighbor, so we have learned from the Second World War that we need shelters. And obviously now as we see the situation in Europe, we are happy to know that we have ~~the~~ shelters."

02:58 VO
Under Finnish law, larger residential and public buildings must have civil defense shelters.
Cities like Kuopio also maintain large underground facilities like this one.
But these spaces serve another purpose.

03:14 JURI ON CAM
This bunker isn't just built for crises.
In peacetime, it's filled with children playing, people exercising, and families spending time together.
That's what makes Finland's bunker network unique.
They're part of everyday life, well maintained, frequently used, and always ready if they're ever needed.

03:34 VO
Finland has roughly 50,000 civil defense shelters, enough space to protect most of the country's population.
Officials say preparedness today means more than preparing for war.
It also means being ready for cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and other hybrid threats.

03:52 SOT Sonja Reinikka, Volunteer
"Am I afraid? No, I am not. We are prepared for everything and we are aware. We care of each other. We don´t leave anyone alone."

04:04 JURI ON CAM
"It's evening now and the bunker is closing its doors. But for many here, the exercise is just entering its next phase. Dozens will spend the night inside the shelter."

04:19 VO
This room will be my home until morning. And for the next few hours, I'll get a small taste of what life inside a shelter feels like when the outside world is no longer an option.
By morning, the exercise will be over.
The volunteers, emergency crews, and officials will return to their everyday lives.
The bunker will once again become a place for sports and recreation.
But the message is clear:
In Finland, preparedness doesn't begin when a crisis starts.
For many people here, it never stops.

END 04:58