Designed to be buried or hidden on the ground, anti-personnel mines often mutilate victims who are not immediately killed, with aid groups decrying their long-term impact on civilians.

But Finnish advocates of their use point argue that the country's security environment has changed due to Russia's war in Ukraine, prompting authorities to re-evaluate their commitment to a landmark anti-mine treaty.

Finland abandoned the weapon in 2012 by joining the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, also known as the Ottawa Convention.

That treaty prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of landmines.

But Helsinki's armed forces have been assessing since the summer whether anti-personnel landmines are needed again in the Nordic nation, the Ministry of Defence told AFP.

"This assessment is motivated by lessons from the war in Ukraine, and the strained security situation," the ministry said, adding that any conclusions would be made when a report is published next year.

- 'Serious discussion' -

Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and became a NATO member last year.

That move angered its eastern neighbour Russia, with which it shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border -- the longest in the US-led defence alliance.

In an interview with the Finnish news outlet MTV last week, the Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Janne Jaakkola, called for a discussion over country's use of landmines and new defence technologies in the face of the changing security situation.

The remarks sparked debate over the landmines' reintroduction, with some defence experts and politicians backing the commander's viewpoint.

Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said he had informed his Nordic and Baltic colleagues about "a serious discussion on landmines in Finland" at a press conference held at a Nordic-Baltic summit in Sweden on Wednesday.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said his country was "following the Finnish lead", referring to similar discussions on landmine use.

"We are also a member of the Ottawa Convention, so we are looking at different options and new technologies," Michal said.

Last week US President Joe Biden announced Washington will provide Ukraine with anti-personnel landmines to shore up its defences against Russia.

Stemming from a desire to ban anti-personal landmines due to the harm their use has inflicted upon civilians, the 1997 Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention currently has 164 state parties.