Finland’s underground city designed to fend off nuclear weapons

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An underground city below the streets of Finland’s capital of Helsinki, capable of housing 900,000 people, has been constructed to fend off potential nuclear threats, as the country grows wary of possible attacks from neighboring Russia.

The underground bunker was designed with the purpose of averting a nuclear disaster, providing a safe space for the people of the country in case such an instance occurs.

The bunker is reportedly 30 meters deep, and is around nine million square meters.

It contains gyms, children’s playgrounds, swimming pools, and numerous tunnels, and is expected to be able to fend off nuclear threats, as well as offer protection from harmful rays and chemical substances.

“I feel safe, at least, here. Sometimes at night it’s a bit scary, because we are underground and you never know what you can find here, but it has been really good,” Dania Obaid, who works in the bunker, told Rudaw’s Alla Shally on Wednesday.

Another purpose of the underground space is believed to be providing shelters in case of an attack from bordering Russia; a threat which has heightened in recent months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

“I have always felt that we are safe in Scandinavia. There is no dreadful war here. Of course, Finland has lived beside Russia. They [Russia] can do things how they like, and the war in Ukraine is proof for that,” said Artio Heinonen, a Helsinki resident.

Sweden and Finland in recent weeks have sought membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which requires the approval of all 30 members for a new state to join. Russia has always been adamant on preventing the expansion of NATO, cautioning bordering countries seeking to join the treaty, including Ukraine.

Most of the doors in Helsinki’s bunker remain closed to the public, and some of them allow access to the army in cases of emergency.

The underground space contains nearly 500 shelters, and is expected to be able to hold 900,000 people. Helsinki’s population is estimated to be around 650,000.