UK troops join major NATO exercise in Finland to counter Russian threat
Dec 08, 2025
Vuosank [Finland], December 8: British soldiers joined a major exercise on NATO's snowy border with Russia as Finnish troops prepare to defend their country if their neighbour invades.
Around 50 men from the 3 Rifles, based in Edinburgh, spent six weeks training in the Arctic north of Finland, where they honed their survival skills in temperatures as low as minus 28 degrees Celsius. The C Company soldiers, who have previously had hot weather training in Kenya and Morocco, learned how to cope with icy immersion in water and how to avoid frostbite, and practised fighting in the snow and shooting while skiing.
They then joined the 3,000 conscripts, reservists and regulars from the Finnish Army's Kainuu Brigade on Operation Northern Ax, in the forests of Vuosanka, around 20 miles from Russia and 400 miles north of Helsinki. The British reconnaissance specialists carried out operations alongside the Finns on a wide-ranging and sophisticated simulated battle which lasted for five days and nights. (PA Media/dpa)
Source: Qatar Tribune
