12,000 conscripts begin military service

A new batch of 12,000 conscripts started their military service in the Finnish Defence Forces on Monday, reported the national broadcaster Yle.

Out of the conscripts, 400 are women, said the report.

According to the Defence Forces, the vast majority of conscripts numbering about 10 thousands will start training in the ranks of the Army, while 1,500 will train in the Navy, and the rest will be drafted into the Border Guards and Air Force.

The largest contingent of Army conscripts, roughly 2,000 of them, have been assigned to brigades in Pori, Kainuu, and Karelia.

The Swedish-speaking recruits will for the most part serve in the Uusimaa Brigade of the Finnish Navy, said the report .