Finland’s Air Force is to remove swastikas from its flags after they caused “awkward situations” with its western allies in NATO.
The Nordic country had held on to the use of the symbol because its use predated that of Nazi-Germany.
Swastika’s have still been on the flags of Karelia, Lapland, and Satakunta Air Commands.
Colonel Tomi Böhm, the new commander of the Karelia Air Wing, told Finnish broadcaster Yle on September 1 that the symbol has led to raised eyebrows among foreign visitors, such as from the US and other NATO forces.
“There have been awkward situations,” Böhm said. “We could continue using this flag, but in some cases it causes discomfort for foreign visitors. It is reasonable to adapt to the times.”
Böhm emphasised that the decision was not politically mandated but reflected practical considerations in international settings.
Finland’s Air Force headquarters had already removed the swastika from its emblem in 2017.
The air force will feature an eagle on its new flags and insignia.
The swastika was introduced to the Finnish Air Force in 1918 when Count Eric von Rosen donated a plane with a blue swastika painted on it, symbolising good luck.
This was before the Nazi Party’s adoption of the symbol in 1920.
Finland used the symbol as its national insignia on aircraft from 1918 to 1945, after which it was removed from planes due to post-Second World War sensitivities. It did, though, remain on some unit flags and decorations, as well as the Finnish Air Force Academy’s insignia.
In 2021, German air force units withdrew from a ceremony in Finland’s Lapland region after learning swastikas would be displayed.
The decision to remove the symbol aligned with Finland’s expanding role in NATO, which it formally joined in April 2023. Participation in joint exercises and operations has increased, raising the profile of military insignia during international engagements.
Finland joined NATO following the perceived increased threat from Russia after it invaded Ukraine. Since then, the Nordic country has been more active in joint exercises and operations with Western allies, making the use of swastikas a more pressing issue.
The symbol has been used since at least the early Iron Age across a wide spectrum of cultures all over the world. In Finland it has been connected to the ancient and widely used insignia of the Tursaansydän (literally “heart of Tursas”).
While opponents pointed towards the international sensitivities and negative connotations with the swastika, proponents said that ending the use of it would give a signal abroad that actually it was a Nazi symbol in Finland, which it never was.
Finland has announced it will withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, an international agreement banning the production and use of anti-personnel landmines. https://t.co/xN0Rk4Ejyr
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) April 2, 2025
