Shelter 2026 -civil defense exercise

Shelter 2026 is a large-scale civil defense exercise taking place on 2–3 September 2026 at Luola (“the Cave”) in Savilahti, Kuopio, Finland. The exercise will test how a large number of people can be protected in different types of disruption and during emergency conditions.

The aim is to improve cooperation between authorities and regional partners, and to strengthen command chains and decision-making, the shared situational picture, and communications in circumstances where normal day-to-day functioning of society has been disrupted.

The exercise forms part of developing comprehensive security in North Savo area. On the exercise days, there will be more visible activity by authorities than usually in the Savilahti area, but this will not cause disturbance to residents or the environment.

Participants include the Rescue Department of North Savo, the City of Kuopio, other authorities, voluntary organizations, businesses, educational institutions and other regional partners – over 2,000 participants in total.

Kuopio is a natural and obvious venue for the exercise: the city brings together leading expertise in safety and security, education, research and strong collaboration between different actors. Luola is Europe’s most modern civil defense shelter and a dual-use underground facility – it provides a unique and realistic environment for the exercise.