In Northern Europe, the large-scale regional air exercise Arctic Challenge Exercise 29 (ACE 2023) begins on May 2023. The maneuvers will last until June 9, they are organized by Denmark, Norway, Sweden, as well as Finland, which this year is entrusted with the leadership of the exercises.

"The purpose of ACE 23 is to conduct exercises and prepare units to organize and conduct air operations with the desire to achieve a level of skill (American exercises. - RT) Flag, including the execution of tactical maneuvers and command and control procedures. ACE 23 is also an opportunity to work out coordination and combat coordination between fourth and fifth generation fighters. This year, the exercises will also expand international cooperation with our partners in the airspace of the Far North, "the Swedish military said in a statement.

According to the Swedish Ministry of Defense, about 150 aircraft will take part in the exercises. In total, about 2,7 thousand military personnel from 14 countries will be involved in the maneuvers. So, in addition to the mentioned host countries, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, the USA and Canada are expected to participate.

At the same time, as emphasized in the Swedish Ministry of Defense, these maneuvers are not NATO exercises.

"Nordic cooperation is the basis of the Arctic Challenge Exercise. The goal of cooperation is to strengthen the national defense of the participants, explore opportunities for joint interaction and find common solutions. Cooperation should lead to increased efficiency, improved quality, more thoughtful allocation of resources and optimization of the costs of the armed forces of each of the countries," the ministry noted.

Norway will take part in training with F-35 Lightning II aircraft and NASAMS III air defense systems. The maneuvers will mainly be conducted at four bases: Erland in Norway, Kallax in Sweden, as well as Rovaniemi and Pirkkala in Finland.

It is also worth noting that on May 26, the Karelian Lock 23 field ground exercises with the United States started in Finland. According to the country's defense department, they are aimed at developing leadership skills, joint operations and international interoperability.

These manoeuvres will last until 2 June and will take place in the districts of Kouvola, Luumäki and Hamina.

Units of the Karelian Brigade, the Army Academy, the Poria Brigade, the Armored Brigade, the 1st Logistics Regiment, the C5 Agency of the Finnish Defense Forces, the Karelian Air Force Command and the North Karelia Border Guard Service take part in them.

In total, about 7 thousand military personnel and 720 units of equipment of the Finnish Armed Forces, as well as 450 US military, will be involved in the exercises.

Northern reinforcement

Recall that Finland and Sweden, which until recently maintained a neutral status, announced their intention to join NATO as full members after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. Helsinki and Stockholm submitted official applications to join the alliance on May 18, 2022.

Finland officially joined NATO on April 4, 2023. At the same time, Sweden's application to join the bloc is still in limbo due to Turkey's principled position.

  • U.S. Army personnel on exercises in northern Norway
  • AFP
  • © Jonathan NACKSTRAND

Moscow has repeatedly noted that the Russian Federation does not threaten these countries, and their entry into a military bloc with a pronounced anti-Russian orientation will entail retaliatory military-technical measures.

Against the background of the start of a series of military exercises in Scandinavia with the participation of NATO countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the conflict in the Arctic region is increasing. This was stated by Ambassador-at-Large Nikolai Korchunov.

"We see that the entire world community has recently increased attention to the Arctic region. Geopolitically, the region is also becoming such an increasingly important platform, unfortunately, conflict in the region is increasing, "TASS quoted him as saying.

The Russian diplomat also noted that the Arctic region is becoming more accessible due to climate change and new technologies, as well as "because of the resources that are urgently needed by the global economy, the demand for them ... will only grow, especially in the context of the energy transition."

Korchunov added that for the Russian Federation in the Arctic, "an extremely important task is to further strengthen Russian sovereignty."

At the same time, the Russian military is conducting its own maneuvers and exercises in the north-west of the country, where an increase in the activity of the armed forces of Western countries is most likely.

So, on May 26, Su-24 front-line bombers of the naval aviation of the Baltic Fleet worked out the conditional destruction of surface and coastal targets at sea and land ranges of the fleet.

Conditional strikes were carried out against targets that simulated a detachment of ships of a conditional enemy, as well as strikes against ground group targets, which were columns of armored and automotive equipment of a conditional enemy.

"The pilots performed practical aimed bombing at altitudes from 200 to 2 thousand meters and speeds up to 1 thousand km / h. Also, the crews of the aircraft worked out combat maneuvering with limit parameters and actions to evade fighter aircraft and air defense systems of a conditional enemy," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The department clarified that during the exercises, more than 20 sorties were made for the use of aviation weapons in the daytime and in the dark. More than ten flight crews and over 50 engineering and technical personnel were involved in the flights.

In addition, the strike group of the Baltic Fleet, consisting of the small missile ships Odintsovo and Sovetsk of the Baltic Naval Base of the fleet, worked out the tasks of striking cruise missiles of the Kalibr sea-based complex against detachments of ships and coastal targets of a conditional enemy.

"As a result of electronic launches, all designated targets were successfully hit. The firing took place in a difficult jamming environment, which was artificially created to complicate the task of the crews of the ships. In the course of performing combat training missions, the crews of the ships also conducted a number of ship exercises - on the fight for survivability and anti-sabotage defense while parked in the base, "the Defense Ministry emphasized.

"Element of threat to the security of the Russian Federation"

Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, in a conversation with RT, noted that in the current military-political situation, any military exercises of Western countries will somehow be associated with the development of possible hostilities against the Russian Federation.

"Of course, taking into account the new realities, the Arctic is of exceptional importance as a potential theater of future military operations and as a "resource pantry" for development in the XXI century. NATO will work out the full range of operational planning solutions, practical actions of the troops, primarily related to striking Russia and gaining superiority in the Arctic. This is the main goal, especially given Finland's acquired membership in the alliance, as well as Sweden's membership in the future. The upcoming maneuvers will be unprecedentedly widespread," the expert emphasized.

  • F-35
  • Gettyimages.ru
  • © Daniel Knighton

After Finland joined NATO, the situation in the region can be described as very tense, Korotchenko believes.

"Taking into account the current relations between the Russian Federation and the alliance, Moscow and Helsinki are possible direct military opponents with all the ensuing consequences. No one is even hiding this now," the specialist explained.

A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Vinokurov, a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The West is working out all scenarios in the context of confrontation with Russia, despite the fact that they do not name a specific enemy. The Arctic is gradually turning into a hot spot. This trend has been observed for a long time. It is clear that no one will leave such a region rich in hydrocarbons and other reserves just like that. In addition, the Arctic is important from a military-strategic point of view. The shortest path for the exchange of strikes with intercontinental ballistic missiles between the United States and Russia passes over it, "Vinokurov explained.

The scale of these exercises clearly poses a threat to the security of the Russian Federation, the analyst believes.

"Such a number of aircraft, especially in the Arctic zone, is a lot. Of course, this kind of exercise introduces an element of threat to the security of the Russian Federation. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that Russia has the most developed infrastructure and the largest grouping of troops in the Arctic," Vinokurov concluded.