The exercise is taking place in northern Lapland and is part of wider artillery exercises, which have been dubbed ‘Dynamic Front 25’ and are the largest ever held in Europe.

In addition to the fire drills in Finland, similar ones will take place in Estonia, Germany, Romania and Poland.

It is the first time NATO allies’ armed forces have trained in large-scale artillery fire on Finnish soil, less than 200 kilometers from the border with Russia.

It is recalled that the country, which shares a 1,300 km border with Russia, joined NATO in April 2023, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Up to 3,600 troops from Finland, the US, Sweden, Britain, France and other NATO member states have been training as the wet chill now sweeps across Lapland’s vast arctic landscapes.

This shooting and training range is the largest in Europe.

Finland closed its border with Russia in December 2023. Helsinki has accused Moscow of organizing flows of irregular migrants to destabilize the country.

Also read: Finland | The world’s first nuclear grave