Helsingin Sanomat reports that former Finnish Defence Forces captain Nico Lingman has made serious allegations about alcohol use, bullying, and degrading initiation rituals in his former unit. Lingman’s claims concern the Armoured Brigade in Parolannummi and are connected to his new book, Nico Lingman – Sodassa ja rakkaudessa. Public snippets of the article describe claims of alcohol use during shooting exercises and staff being heavily drunk in the evenings despite handling weapons and explosives and being responsible for conscripts.

Lingman also describes initiation rituals for young officers in which they were forced into an extremely hot sauna and beaten with half-metre conifer branches until their backs were bloody. According to the same publicly available excerpt, Lingman says his own back remained bloody for a week.

Read the entire piece in Helsingin Sanomat.