The NATO exercise “Icy Winds 24” began today in the waters of the Gulf of Finland.
The NATO maneuvers are taking place off the coasts of Helsinki and Turku, and involve the naval forces of almost all NATO countries in the Baltic Sea region, as well as units from the United States and France. The number reaches 30 warships. In total, about 4,000 soldiers from Finland, the United States, France, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany and Sweden participate in the maneuvers.
“At this time of year, both arctic snowfall and autumn storms can occur. We need to guarantee the alliance’s ability to operate in any conditions,” – said the exercise commander Marko Laaksonen.
EADaily clarifies that this is the first such large-scale exercise after Finland became a member of the aggressive anti-Russian alliance.
