From May 12 to 31, major military exercises are taking place in northern Finland with the participation of Swedish and British troops. The maneuvers, titled Northern Strike 125 and Northern Star 25, are being held at the Rovajärvi training area in Lapland and involve approximately 6,500 military personnel.
According to the Finnish Army, the exercises include 900 Swedish and 350 British soldiers. The first phase, Northern Strike 125, focuses on live-fire artillery drills, while the second phase, Northern Star 25, will include field tactical maneuvers.
Air support is being provided by British AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, as well as aircraft from the Swedish, British, and Finnish air forces.
These drills reflect Finland’s growing defense activity following its accession to NATO in April 2023. As previously reported, Finland has planned a total of 115 military exercises for 2025. It was also noted that in 2024, Finnish territory was used for the first time as part of major NATO exercises.
