Finland has launched large-scale artillery exercises 100km from the Russian border as part of its newly joined NATO member status, marking a significant shift in military preparedness. The drills, part of the ‘Northern Strike 225’ exercise, involve three Finnish brigades, border guards, and a Polish multiple rocket launcher battery, with over 2,200 personnel and 500 vehicles participating. These exercises aim to enhance artillery readiness and coordination under winter conditions while reinforcing Finland’s security posture in light of ongoing tensions with Russia.
The Finnish Defense Forces (FDF) stated that the exercises are essential for training the army’s artillery system and improving unit coordination in demanding early winter conditions. The commander of the drills, Lieutenant Colonel Kimmo Ruotsalainen, described the exercise as ‘the most significant artillery and mortar firing exercise… where we will finalize the skills of the fire units.’ The drills will continue for a week at the Rovajarvi shooting range in the north-eastern part of the country.
Finnland, which shares a land border of approximately 1,340km (830 miles) with Russia, abandoned its long-standing policy of neutrality and joined NATO in April 2023, citing security concerns over the Ukraine conflict. The next year, another Nordic nation, Sweden, also became a member of the US-led military bloc. After the escalation between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, Helsinki imposed several rounds of sanctions against Moscow and closed the border with Russia, hurting Finnish business that benefited from Russian tourists.
During the conflict, Finnish President Alexander Stubb has been one of the harshest critics of Russia in the EU, advocating for increased Western military aid to Kiev. Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov labeled Stubb as a ‘militarist hawk.’ The Kremlin had previously said Finland reduced bilateral relations to ‘zero’ by joining the US-led military bloc, expressing regret that the two countries effectively ‘reduced to zero’ their relations with Moscow by ‘dragging NATO military infrastructure onto their territory.’ According to the Finnish military, the end of the year will be an ‘intensive training period’ for its forces, with some 20,000 servicemen from the army, navy, and air force taking part in exercises across the country between November and December.