NATO launches major joint exercises in Finland and Sweden amid Baltic tensions

NATO ground forces launched joint exercises in Finland and Sweden on Saturday, marking the alliance’s first major military deployment in its two newest member states since their accession in 2023 and 2024. The operations, confirmed by NATO on 6 June 2026, are designed to strengthen the defence of the Baltic region amid heightened tensions with Russia. Finnish and Swedish troops are participating alongside NATO allies in drills stretching from the Gulf of Riga to the Danish coast, underscoring the alliance’s commitment to collective security in northern Europe.

The move follows Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which prompted both Nordic countries to abandon decades of military non-alignment. Finland joined NATO in April 2023, and Sweden completed its accession in March 2024, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia. “NATO ground forces began operations on Saturday with the explicit goal of reinforcing the defence of our two newest members,” the alliance stated . Belgian, Estonian, and Danish units are reportedly involved, with additional reinforcements expected from the United States and the United Kingdom.

The timing coincides with a broader NATO push to bolster its eastern flank. On the same day, alliance officials confirmed discussions on a new €70 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which could be announced at the upcoming summit in Ankara next month . Meanwhile, a high-profile NATO exercise is already underway in the Baltic Sea, involving naval and air assets from multiple member states. “There is an ongoing NATO exercise taking place right now just off the south western coast of Estonia in the Gulf of Riga, and around the Baltic Sea stretching south to Skagen on the coast of Denmark,” France 24 reported .

Reaction from Moscow has been swift. Russian state media highlighted a theme park attraction in Moscow renamed after a hypersonic missile, Oreshnik, while NATO’s northern expansion was framed as a provocation. Analysts suggest the drills are a direct response to Russia’s recent military posturing, including nuclear threats and the renaming of the missile, which NATO officials dismiss as propaganda. “The alliance is sending a clear signal: any aggression against Finland or Sweden will be met with a unified response,” a NATO spokesperson told ORF .

The exercises also serve as a test of NATO’s operational readiness in the High North, where climate change is opening new strategic routes. With both Finland and Sweden now fully integrated into the alliance’s command structure, the drills are expected to become a regular feature of NATO’s deterrence posture. As one Estonian former president noted during a live interview, “Lessons learned in dealing with Putin require more than words—we need boots on the ground and ships in the water” .