Fineod – What happened in 2025?
- Kuunvaara
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
(Yes, the blog has been quiet. We noticed. We’re sorry.)
Before we dive into the year, we owe you a quick apology: our blog and social media presence have been… sparse. Shamefully so. The reason is simple: we still fund our humanitarian work through our regular jobs, which means our time must be prioritized toward activities that keep the lights on. Unfortunately, that has often meant fewer updates — even though the work itself has never stopped.
2025 was a bumpy road with its fair share of highs, lows, and unexpected detours. Here is the year, month by month.
January — Conference, Contacts & Coffee-Fueled Applications
We began the year at SecD-Day in Helsinki. The event was an excellent platform for networking, maintaining existing partnerships, and forming new ones. We talked with one company interested in having their equipment tested in Ukraine and strengthened our ties with several Finnish organizations.
Beyond the expo halls, January was a month of background work: researching funding channels, finalizing a long-standing funding application, and visiting the Embassy of Ukraine in Helsinki — where we had the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss the evolving operational landscape.
February — Back to Ukraine
Early February took us once again to Ukraine. Our goal: build new partnerships. We succeeded. Negotiations progressed smoothly, ending in a mutually beneficial agreement that all parties signed.
This trip involved relatively little training, but the sessions we conducted were among the most critical ones we’ve ever delivered. We trained personnel from two units, focusing on foundational skills in recognizing and managing IED situations.
We traveled across Kyiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv, delivering two drones along the way to support operational needs.
March — The Quiet Month (On Paper Only)
While outwardly calmer, March was filled with long workdays in our regular jobs to cover the personal expenses from February’s trip. A contact approached us with a request for a vehicle. After some evaluation, we realized Aria had a car suitable for the task — setting the stage for April’s unexpected adventure.
April — A Solo Mission & A Series of Surprises
Aria drove the vehicle to Ukraine alone, as Antti had to remain in Finland due to work. The plan changed several times on the road when Aria needed to meet with Chris Garrett in Kyiv to advance previous collaboration plans. (Rest in peace, Chris.)
The trip grew far longer and more intense than anticipated. Originally intended as a quick visit, it turned into a week-long ordeal involving:
A road-rage or otherwise extremely aggressive traffic incident
A coolant leak following the incident
A non-functioning heater while driving through subzero temperatures (because of the coolant leak)
A paperwork error at the border that forced an additional detour into Poland
An interrogation about the purpose of her trip at the Polish border
Despite all this, Aria returned safely — cold, exhausted, but intact.
During her trip we received a disappointing decision: Business Finland / the Ministry for Foreign Affairs declined our funding application. Given the evaluation we had received from advisors, the rejection felt surprising and, frankly, unfair; the reasons cited concerned factors we cannot influence without the very funding we sought.
We ended the month by updating our presentations, materials, and service structure to better support future outreach.
We also reveived Support from Toni Mikkola, who bought 100€ support certificate.
May — Loss & Encouraging News
We received the sad news: Chris Garrett had passed away. His successor contacted us, and discussions about possible future collaboration remain ongoing. Time will tell what form this may take.
On a positive note, another organization offered to help us acquire our first proper demining protective suit — equipment we had not yet been able to purchase ourselves. Later, after the summer trip, we also received the suit.
June–July — The Summer Mission
Preparations began for our summer Ukraine trip, and Antti continued several product development projects alongside his regular work. We also gained a new Supporter with a €20 certificate.
We started the trip in Kyiv, seeking clarity on how Chris’s passing would impact collaboration structures. The situation was still evolving, but discussions were constructive.
Most of the summer was spent in the Kramatorsk region, where we conducted many days of training, assisted in clearing a training area, and worked alongside a colleague on additional consulting tasks.
While in Kramatorsk, we experienced a series of airstrikes. Between 12–17 KAB-250 bombs hit the city in waves throughout the night — beginning around 23:00 and continuing at two-hour intervals.
A few days later, a journalist from Helsingin Sanomat spotted our vehicle and contacted us for an interview, which was later published.
We were invited to Karazin University in Kharkiv, where we were introduced to two student-led technical development projects — impressive, innovative, and very much aligned with the realities of the conflict.
We also attempted to further another cooperation plan but learned the organization's activities were temporarily halted due to an accreditation process. Post-process, collaboration prospects still look promising.
In July, Antti scheduled a meeting in Finland with the local fire department to discuss potential training we could provide, such as urban search-and-rescue topics.
August — Fire Departments & First Online Course
We met with representatives of Finnish fire department and discussed potential cooperation. The regulatory environment is challenging: both we and the authorities operate under strict legal limitations on who may train whom, and in what topics. Despite this, the meeting was positive — and it resulted in an invitation to present at their Leadership Day.
In August we also published our first online course: “Jalkaväkimiinat tutuksi siviileille.” Aria created the content; Antti carried out the review.
September — Leadership Day & National Media
We attended the Leadership Day event, introduced our company, and on the same day Helsingin Sanomat published their article about us.
Most of September was otherwise spent on regular work and long-term planning.
October — Another Solo Trip & New Networks
Aria travelled to Ukraine alone once more to maintain and expand our network — a matter of survival for a small organization like ours.
Two planned meetings were cancelled due to changing circumstances, but several others took place. These meetings focused heavily on the realities and structural challenges of the humanitarian mine action field.
This time, Aria’s trip went better and more according to plan, even though she had to drive without GPS in the center of Kyiv — something she had been dreading. It was a dark, rainy day, and she sensed something was off with her car again. Imagine a hill start with an almost broken clutch, in heavy traffic, with no navigation, and no idea where your hotel is. Fortunately, the car problems escalated only after she was already back in Finland.
November — Courses, Concepts & Funding Research
Much of November went into:
Regular jobs
Developing future online course frameworks
Researching funding options
Continuing product development
Aria also began studying toward TVEAT (Turvallisuusalan erikoisammattitutkinto), which will allow us to expand our official service offerings under our auxiliary business name in the future. It will also enable us to better utilize our resources in the private security industry, where Aria has prior working experience.
Antti got request to speech at Finnish volunteer firebrigade seminar on February. As even tho the law prohibits firebrigade to dismantle any exlpsovies. In near war time and in wartime they will meet those hazards as Drones are driven into deep into civilian buildings.
December — Planning Ahead
December is still ongoing, but so far we have:
Begun planning our early-2026 operations
Discussed timing for our next Ukraine trip
Continued working on additional online courses and products
Refined our long-term social media strategy
Welcomed a new Guardian-level supporter: Antti Saviluoto
Soon, even we will take a moment to slow down and enjoy the holidays.
Summary of 2025 — Fineod
Four operational trips to Ukraine — Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kramatorsk — including extensive training and delivery of two drones.
Published our first online course, with more in development.
New cooperation agreement signed and several key partnerships expanded (universities, NGOs, companies).
Featured in Helsingin Sanomat, increasing our national visibility.
Acquired our first demining protective suit with external support.
Aria began the TVEAT qualification to broaden future service capabilities.
Continued product development and long-term planning to strengthen operations.
Final Thoughts
2025 has tested us, stretched us, and shaped us. We are still a small organisation — funded by our own salaries from our regular jobs, driven by commitment rather than convenience — but our work continues to expand, step by step, partner by partner, mission by mission.
Thank you for supporting us, following our journey, and believing that even a small team can make a meaningful difference.
Here’s to a safer 2026.
— Fineod Team.
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