Thousands of NATO troops are taking part in large-scale artillery exercises in the Finnish Arctic, widely seen as a direct message to neighboring Russia regarding its ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
In the snow-covered landscape of Finland’s Lapland region, the sounds of artillery fire and rocket blasts can be heard as 3,600 soldiers from the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, and other NATO member countries engage in the drills. The exercises, which will last throughout November, are part of NATO’s largest artillery exercise in Europe, known as “Dynamic Front 25,” which also includes training events in Estonia, Germany, Romania, and Poland, involving a total of around 5,000 soldiers.
Joel Linnainmaki, a researcher at Finland’s Institute for International Affairs, stated that these massive drills should be viewed as a clear message to Russia, with which Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border. “These NATO exercises aim to show other countries, particularly Russia, that the alliance is united and ready to defend its members,” he said.
This marks the first large-scale military exercise in Finland since the country joined NATO last year, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Colonel Janne Makitalo, who is leading the Dynamic Front 25 exercises in Finland, emphasized that the primary goal is to enhance training and operational interoperability among NATO artillery units, as well as to prepare troops for challenging Arctic conditions now that Finland, Sweden, and Norway are NATO members.
“Of course, the message is that we are able to train together and strengthen our capabilities,” Makitalo said in a statement to the press. “Artillery is essentially the ‘king and queen’ of the battlefield, as we have seen from the experience of combat in Ukraine.”
While some may view the show of force as provocative, Makitalo dismissed the notion, stating, “This is not a demonstration of power.” He added that Finland’s membership in NATO has added 280,000 soldiers to NATO’s northern flank, further strengthening the alliance’s defense capabilities in the region.
