Finnish general explains how his country plans to combat gunpowder shortage
Finland plans to revive "vintage" production to reduce its dependence on Chinese gunpowder. This was announced in an interview with LIGA.net by the former head of Finnish military intelligence, now a Member of the European Parliament, retired General Pekka Toveri.
He believes that the shortage of gunpowder and explosives is a major problem. There are several gunpowder production facilities in Europe that are heavily dependent on the supply of Chinese cotton. The same applies to military explosives.
"Finland is now considering resuming the production of nitrocellulose, mainly by making gunpowder from wood. We did this during World War II, and we can do it again to avoid dependence on Chinese gunpowder. We are also building a TNT plant – it is the most common military explosive," explained Toveri.
He added that it takes one to two years for enterprises to start operating fully.
According to Toveri, Europe will need at least five years to solve this problem.
- On June 19, 2025, the Finnish parliament supported the country's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention. The country's army will be allowed to use anti-personnel mines.
- On June 24, The Telegraph reported that Poland, Finland, and the Baltic countries may mine their borders with Russia.