Approximately 3,600 soldiers from 28 NATO countries are participating this week in the Dynamic Front 25 exercises in Finnish Lapland, located about 200 kilometers from the Russian border. This event marks the largest artillery exercise in the history of the Alliance in Europe.
The drills, which will continue until the end of November, are centered around Lake Rovajärvi, north of Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland. These are the first large-scale military exercises to take place in Finland since the country joined NATO in April of last year.
In addition to troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Finland, France, and Sweden, the exercises involve around 1,000 vehicles and various artillery pieces, allowing allied forces to practice in a 1,000-square-kilometer improvised shooting range within the Arctic Circle.
The exercise will include a simulation in which Finland will assume command of the allied ground forces in the north for the first time. It also features tanks and artillery systems capable of reaching Russian territory.
Colonel Janne Mäkitalo, commander of the Finnish forces, stated that one of the objectives of these exercises is to demonstrate credible defense capabilities for both Finland and NATO, although they are not directed against any specific country. He emphasized, 'This exercise sends the message that we can train together, that we are developing our capabilities, but it should not be interpreted as a show of force.'
The Dynamic Front 25 exercises also include activities in Estonia, Germany, Romania, and Poland, involving a total of about 5,000 allied soldiers.
Finland's accession to NATO, prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year earlier, has effectively doubled NATO's borders with Russia, adding 280,000 new troops and extensive military expertise in harsh Arctic conditions to the Alliance. However, it has also strained relations with neighboring Russia, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Finland and opposes NATO's expansion towards its territory.
Coincidentally, on the same day that the allied exercises began in Lapland, significant damages were detected in two undersea telecommunications cables connecting Finland to Germany and Sweden to Lithuania.