Dnipropetrovsk Investment Agency (DIA) has prepared an overview of the international cooperation of Finland and Dnipropetrovsk region amid the aggression of the russian federation. The material focuses on the support of Switzerland and foreign trade indicators based on DIABASE data.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Finland has built a comprehensive system of support for Ukraine, covering defence and humanitarian assistance, the restoration of energy and critical infrastructure, the development of civil protection, and support for state institutions and the economy. As of August 2026, the total volume of Finnish assistance has exceeded €4.6 billion, of which more than €3.4 billion has been directed to Ukraine’s defence needs.

At the political level, Finland consistently supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, sanctions pressure on russia and holding it accountable for its aggression. Relations between the two countries rest, in particular, on the bilateral Agreement on Security Cooperation and Long-term Support signed by Presidents Alexander Stubb and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in April 2024. The document provides for long-term assistance to Ukraine’s defence capability, the resilience of the state, the implementation of reforms and Ukraine’s accession processes to the EU and NATO.

An important feature of Finnish policy is that its support for Ukraine’s European integration is backed by practical programmes. Finland assists in reforming public administration, the taxation system, the rule of law and other areas in line with European standards. For example, the project of the Finnish Tax Administration “Building Trust in the State Tax Service of Ukraine”, with funding of €1.6 million for 2025–2029, is aimed at the institutional development of the State Tax Service, digitalisation and bringing the Ukrainian tax system closer to the European model.

In July 2025, Finland approved a separate Country Programme for Development Cooperation in Ukraine 2025–2028, which complements Finland’s National Plan for Participation in the Reconstruction of Ukraine. Assistance is thus gradually shifting from responding to urgent wartime needs to a long-term model of reconstruction, reforms and economic partnership.

One of the central areas has been economic support and reconstruction financing. Through the Finland–Ukraine Investment Facility (FUIF), Finland has made provision in 2025–2026 for financing Ukrainian public-sector projects worth up to €50 million. The mechanism is oriented towards projects in which Finnish technologies and equipment can be used to modernise Ukrainian infrastructure.

Separate financial instruments have been created to attract the private sector. The Finnish export credit agency Finnvera has received special state risk cover in the amount of €100 million to support trade and projects with Ukraine. In addition, provision has been made for up to €30 million in export guarantees for Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises working with Ukraine. The Finnish state-owned finance company Finnfund has received €25 million in additional capital for investments in Ukraine, especially in projects involving Finnish companies, while the Finnpartnership programme has received an additional €8 million for the development of business partnerships.

Finland has also contributed €5 million to the European Investment Bank’s EU for Ukraine Fund, which finances the restoration of municipal infrastructure and supports Ukraine’s convergence with the EU. Through the World Bank’s SPUR programme, the volume of Finnish support amounts to €62 million in the form of loans and grants. This programme is aimed at restoring critical infrastructure, ensuring basic public services and implementing structural reforms.

The restoration of Ukraine’s energy sector acquired particular significance in 2026. In August, Finland announced €28.5 million from development funds for the restoration of the war-damaged energy sector. The total cost of the corresponding project is €45.6 million, with the remainder financed by the Ukrainian side. The Finnish company Wärtsilä will supply engines for power plants being purchased by the state-owned company Ukrnafta. The equipment is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to generate electricity amid systematic russian attacks on energy infrastructure.

Military assistance remains the largest component of Finnish support. As of August 2026, Finland has already taken decisions on 33 packages of defence assistance, with a combined value exceeding €3.4 billion. The exact composition of most packages is deliberately not disclosed for operational reasons and to ensure the safe delivery of military materiel to Ukraine.

In February 2025, the Ministry of Defence launched a special programme under which products needed by Ukraine are procured directly from the Finnish defence industry. Orders with a total value of €660 million were envisaged for the programme. This makes it possible simultaneously to provide Ukraine with the necessary products, to increase the production capacity of the Finnish defence industry and to build long-term production links.

The Republic of Finland also participates in NATO’s multilateral PURL mechanism, through which European allies finance the purchase of priority weapons and military equipment for Ukraine from the United States. In November 2025, Finland, together with other Nordic and Baltic countries, joined in financing a package worth $500 million. In June 2026, Helsinki allocated an additional €40 million to PURL. This funding is part of the government’s decision to increase military support for Ukraine by a further €300 million in 2026–2027.

Alongside military assistance, Finland is actively helping Ukraine to develop civil protection. This is a particularly interesting area of Finnish-Ukrainian partnership, since Finland itself has one of the most developed systems of shelters and public preparedness for crisis situations in Europe. The Finnish Ministry of the Interior, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service, is working on the development of the national civil protection system. The project provides for assistance in improving legislation and regulatory documents and in preparing a roadmap for the large-scale construction of shelters in Ukraine. Its budget for 2025–2027 amounts to €2.2 million. Finland and Ukraine also jointly chair the international civil protection coalition.

Humanitarian support remains another significant area. In November 2025, Finland announced €13.5 million in vital humanitarian assistance, and in February 2026 it allocated a further €20 million to Ukraine.

The assistance is channelled through international humanitarian organisations that work directly with the population of front-line territories, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups. In particular, at the beginning of 2026 Finland directed €6 million to the operations of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine. UNHCR provides emergency assistance, protection for internally displaced persons, support for communities and help for people returning to their homes.

Finland also supports the UN World Food Programme. Its activities in Ukraine include providing food parcels to residents of hard-to-reach and front-line territories, cash assistance to affected families, support for school meals, and humanitarian demining of agricultural land jointly with FAO.

Humanitarian demining is a separate area. Finland supports international organisations that clear Ukrainian territories of mines and other explosive ordnance. In August 2026, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced a new call for funding for international non-governmental organisations in the field of humanitarian demining, with a total budget of up to €9 million for 2027–2029.

Finland is also expanding its support for Ukrainian women and girls affected by the war. In February 2026, the allocation of €3 million for 2026–2028 was announced for the UN Women programme in Ukraine. The assistance is aimed at protecting women’s rights, their participation in the country’s recovery and the promotion of gender equality, which the Finnish side also regards as a component of Ukraine’s convergence with EU standards.

Finnish support also extends to Ukraine’s institutional and technological modernisation. In 2026, cooperation between the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center was extended. Finland is allocating €2 million for a new four-year stage in 2026–2030. The project provides for the development of meteorological and early warning systems, which is important for civil protection, agriculture and emergency response.

A further approximately €1 million for 2025–2028 is being directed by Finland towards developing the use of sustainable forest biomass for decentralised energy in Ukraine. The Natural Resources Institute Finland, the Finnish Forest Centre and relevant Ukrainian institutions are taking part in the project. For Ukraine, this area has a twofold significance: the development of local energy generation reduces communities’ dependence on centralised systems, which remain targets of russian attacks.

The development of mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation also remains an important priority for the two countries. An analysis of the export and import operations of the Dnipropetrovsk region with Finland demonstrates a high level of partnership relations, as this country is an important trading partner of the region.

According to the results of 9 months of 2025, the volume of goods exports from Dnipropetrovsk region amounted to $4.7 million and increased by 22% compared with the previous period. Among the goods in demand among Finnish consumers are natural and artificial fur, ferrous metals and articles of ferrous metals, oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, machinery and equipment, and others.

Export operations were carried out by around 20 enterprises from Dnipropetrovsk region. The main exporting companies are enterprises of the metallurgical complex, the processing industry, as well as agricultural and machine-building enterprises.

TOP-5 exporting enterprises (ranked by volume of export products):

Imports of goods from Finland into Dnipropetrovsk region amounted to $20 million and increased by 19.4% compared with 9 months of 2024. Dnipropetrovsk region has traditionally purchased: paper and paperboard, fertilisers, petroleum and products of its distillation, pharmaceutical products and others.

Import operations were carried out by around 60 importing enterprises.

TOP-5 importing enterprises (ranked by volume of imported products):

Import operations were carried out mainly by trading, pharmaceutical, processing and food enterprises.

Source:  information for preparing the article was taken from open online sources