Finnish Army Soldiers stand in formation to receive orders during Arrow ‘19, an annual Finnish multinational exercise, at the Pojankangas Training Area near Kankaanpaa, Finland, May 15, 2019. The joint training increases interoperability between U.S. military service branches and partnering nations, reinforces collective defense and security and builds readiness through strong, strategic forces according to the mission objectives of the U.S. European Command. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. LaShic Patterson)

A Finnish conscript NCO serving with the North Karelia Border Guard in Kontiolahti was convicted after testing the pin of a PAHAKAS 95 training hand grenade, then throwing it into a group of conscripts, where it detonated. Four servicemen suffered at least temporary hearing damage, and 26 conscripts were sent for hearing tests after the incident in May 2025.

After removing the pin, the man had thrown a training hand grenade in the middle of a conscript group, where it exploded loudly. As a result of the incident, a total of 26 conscripts had to undergo hearing tests. The act caused at least temporary hearing damage to one of the sergeants and three border jaegers. For some, tinnitus also followed. One said that his ear had been sore for several weeks.

According to MTV Uutiset, the NCO said he had trouble with the pin in an earlier exercise and wanted to test it before later use. He also claimed he had not understood that the training grenade was explosive, although it contained one gram of explosive material. He was convicted of a service offence and four counts of negligent bodily injury, receiving 40-day fines, amounting to €240.

Read the entire piece in MTV Uutiset.