British soldiers have taken part in a major Nato exercise on Finland's snowy border with Russia, helping Finnish troops prepare for a potential invasion. Around 50 personnel from Edinburgh-based 3 Rifles spent six weeks honing survival skills in the Arctic north, enduring temperatures as low as minus 28C.
The soldiers, from C Company, mastered coping with icy water immersion, preventing frostbite, and practised combat and shooting while skiing. They then joined 3,000 Finnish personnel from the Kainuu Brigade for Operation Northern Ax in Vuosanka's forests, 20 miles from Russia and 400 miles north of Helsinki.
The five-day simulated battle tested defence, delaying, night combat and attack tactics, with commanders monitoring troops' movement in real time. Finland, which joined Nato in 2023 after years of neutrality, has mandatory conscription for men who remain reservists until age 50, meaning its 5.5 million population could raise an army of 900,000.
Major Henry Wootton, leading the company, said: 'It is really impressive to see a country that is orientated for defence. They have a set-in-stone defence plan and everyone contributes to that with their conscript service when they are 18.' Rifleman Aaron Hunter, 21, from Wakefield, said the threat of a Russian invasion was a key reason for training in Finland.
