The Finnish Defence Forces report that a powerful bazooka shell was stolen from a firing range of the Santahamina garrison in Helsinki on Wednesday or Thursday.
The shell is very dangerous. It is about half a metre long and 66 mm in diameter. The copper-coloured shell weighs a few kilos, and has a black tip.
The shell has been fired, but it failed to explode. It may have been in the terrain for a long time.
Lieutenant-Colonel Timo Mustaniemi says that the disappearance was noticed at the firing range during an annual clean-up.
Police warn that the shell should not be touched or moved anywhere, and are asking anyone with any information on its whereabouts to inform police.
All soldiers leaving the Santahamina garrison on leave are searched, along with their vehicles and luggage. Bomb-sniffing dogs are used in the searches.
The Finnish Army Staff Headquarters reports that individual bullets for assault rifles occasionally disappear, but that the disappearance of larger munitions is truly rare.
The shells of the type that disappeared last week are used mainly in anti-tank weapons. They can also penetrate a concrete wall.
