On March 4, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced the start of large-scale military exercises in Northern Europe, amid escalating tensions in Europe as the conflict in Ukraine enters its third year.
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| NATO began large-scale exercises in Northern Europe with 20,000 soldiers from March 4. (Source: NATO) |
According to NATO's announcement, the exercise will involve more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 countries, Anadolu reported.
The Norwegian-led exercise, called Nordic Response 2024, marks Finland's largest-ever participation in a military exercise abroad, with more than 4,000 of its soldiers taking part.
The move follows Helsinki's historic decision to join NATO last April.
Once known as "Cold Response", which takes place every two years, NATO's renaming of the exercise is in recognition of Finland's membership in the military alliance and Sweden's participation as the 32nd member.
Speaking at the opening of the exercise, Commander of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, Brigadier General Tron Strand, said: “We need to be able to counter and deter anyone who tries to challenge our borders, our values and our democracy. Given the current security situation in Europe, the exercise is extremely relevant and more important than ever.”
The Guardian quoted a statement from the Norwegian military as saying: “With Finland and soon Sweden as allied neighbours, the exercise contributes to closer Nordic integration within the NATO framework.”
The Norwegian military also said that all relevant countries, including Russia, had been informed about the exercise.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Moscow is monitoring the exercise and "has all the necessary means for this."
Assessing “Nordic Response 2024” as confrontational and provocative in nature, Deputy Minister Grushko said that any exercises, especially those taking place near the line of communication, “increase the risk of a military incident.”
Moscow has taken all necessary measures to ensure its defense capabilities in this context, he noted.
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