The Åland Islands, an autonomous, Swedish-speaking region of Finland, remain demilitarized and neutral due to historic treaties and League of Nations rulings, despite their strategic location controlling access to the Baltic Sea. Finland, renowned for its comprehensive security doctrine, faces a paradox: it must protect Åland while adhering to the islands’ demilitarized status, reports Grant Wyeth of The Lowy Institute. Russia’s suspicious activities and the ongoing war in Ukraine have heightened the islands’ strategic importance, yet Ålanders value their neutrality, autonomy, and cultural identity. Finland must balance defense considerations with international obligations, while Åland’s unique political and cultural status continues to serve as a buffer and model for managing distinct minority regions. Wyeth writes:

The Finns are nothing if not prepared. Through their doctrine of “comprehensive security”, they have built a whole-of-society approach to protecting their country. This involves each element of the state, as well as the private sector and individual citizens having a role to play to maintain the vital functions of society in any potential crisis. Vigilance is incorporated into everything the Finns do, and, of course, this also includes a military capability that far exceeds what would be expected of a country of just 5.5 million people.

Despite this, one piece of Finnish territory remains conspicuously unguarded.

Lying at the mouth of the Gulf of Bothnia, and overseeing both the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland are the Åland Islands – an autonomous, Swedish-speaking, region of Finland of around 30,000 people. Their location would enable considerable naval and air control of the chokepoints in the northern Baltic Sea, yet by law no military equipment is allowed to enter. This is because the islands are subject to a series of longstanding international agreements borne from Europe’s warring past. […]

This suspicion about Russia’s intentions remains to this day. Åland’s current premier, Katrin Sjögren, confirmed to me that “Russia has never accepted Åland’s neutralisation.” How Russia views Åland is distinct from how other states in the region view the islands.

From Moscow’s perspective, Finland’s sovereignty of the islands means that demilitarisation serves its current navigational interests in the Baltic Sea. […]

Given the major shift in Finnish defence policy, Russian propagandists have been warning that any change to Åland’s status from Helsinki may be a trigger for war. […]

This may not sit comfortably with Finland’s defence planners whose instincts would be to have all Finnish territory be as prepared and vigilant as the mainland. Russia’s actions in Ukraine have heightened conditions in the Baltic Sea, making Åland’s location even more vital. Although in an ideal world, it would be Åland’s political status, rather than its geography, that would be prized.

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