Aland is lovely, weapon-free and too close to Russia

“Everything has become more intense,” murmurs Juri Jalava as his coastguard cutter plies the waters of the Aland Islands. Tension with Russia means he is spending longer at sea than ever: “We do not want to be caught out.” Aland, a Skye-sized island surrounded by 7,000 islets and rocks, is awkward for Finland. Over 95% of its trade passes through or near the islands, as do crucial data and electricity cables linked to the rest of Europe. But Finland is bound by treaty to keep these Swedish-speaking islands demilitarised in peacetime. They have been so since the Crimean War, when Britain and France tried to strangle Russian trade through the Baltic.

With Finnish soldiers banned from training or storing weapons on the islands, security types worry they may be unprepared. Russia would need to take Aland to dominate the Baltic in any conflict with the West. Sweden remilitarised nearby Gotland after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014; Russian soldiers have practised seizing both islands.

“Why should we leave this hole in our defences that benefits only Russia?” asks Pekka Toveri, a former head of Finnish military intelligence. He worries a small Russian force could disrupt NATO reinforcements bound for Finland. Kjell Torner, who once commanded the force tasked with racing to Aland during wartime, worries about undercover agents sent to cause trouble. He claims there are weapons in the cellar of Aland’s Russian consulate. “It just makes life so much more difficult,” snaps an official involved in planning Aland’s defence. The Russians may have prepared to cut the cables around Aland, another warns.

Yet reopening long-standing agreements risks opening a can of worms, says Matti Pesu from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Russia, which is party to two deals forced on a defeated Finland in 1940 and 1947, would surely object. “Would it not be more dangerous to start ripping up international treaties?” asks Mats Lofstrom, a local MP. Among some two dozen pensioners protesting against the war in Ukraine in front of the clapboard Russian consulate, none wanted Aland remilitarised. “It makes us safer,” said Sonja Nordenswan.

Alanders are supposedly the happiest people in the happiest country on Earth. It is not hard to see why, after walking the coastal paths lined with boat houses and bird-watching haunts. Most dismiss mainlanders’ discussions about remilitarisation as populism at their expense. “It is all pretty absurd,” snorts Michele Ferrari, a local politician. “We are demilitarised and shall remain so. The world needs more demilitarised places.” ■

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