United to win: Finland sends rescue equipment to Ukraine, including protective gear and chemical detectors

This week, Finland delivered a truck of personal protective equipment and chemical detectors to Ukraine, assisting in a rescue equipment warehouse funded by the European Union for the very first time.

The Finnish Ministry of the Interior reported this.

What is the problem?

The department noted that Ukraine requested assistance not because of a sudden increase in the level of the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats but to improve its preparedness.

What is the solution?

Therefore, Finland has assisted a rescue equipment warehouse funded by the EU for the first time.

It is noted that the cargo that arrived from the EU rescue warehouse located in Finland included:

• both reusable equipment;
• and disposable equipment for hygiene and safety reasons.

Ukraine can use these supplies to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies.

^{Photo: Finnish Ministry of Internal Affairs}

How does it work?

Between 2023 and 2024, the EU has set up two emergency reserves in Finland:

• rescEU CBRN, which offers tools for identifying, preventing, and safeguarding against CBRN risks and dangerous circumstances;
• rescEU Medical provides medical equipment, medications, and tools to measure radiation levels in people and food.

The medical stocks were established to respond to cross-border health emergencies such as pandemics.

The rescEU stocks are joint strategic reserves funded by the EU. The European Commission can decide to deploy them when a country's own resources are insufficient to cope with an emergency situation, such as a pandemic.

For reference:

It should be noted that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Finland has been actively supporting Ukraine in the humanitarian, financial, and military-technical spheres.

Finland has already approved Ukraine's 26th defense support package and has already begun forming the next one.

It should be recalled that on November 12, Ukraine and Finland signed a Framework Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Finland on projects financed under the Finnish-Ukrainian Investment Fund (FUIF) program.

Within the framework of the Agreement, loans of up to 50 million euros are planned for 2025. Further implementation of the Program will involve concluding relevant loan agreements to determine the volume, terms, and conditions of the loans.

Ukraine also proposed to Sweden and Finland that it support the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex by directly financing Ukrainian manufacturers, following the example of the "Danish model. "

In addition, Ukraine and Finland jointly created the Civil Protection Coalition to develop a system of modern shelters.

In April, Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Alexander Stubb signed a bilateral security agreement. The agreement provides for long-term support from Helsinki and deepens cooperation between the two countries.