Finland closely monitors Russian military drills, warns of potential threats
Finnish commander says Russia is using exercises to demonstrate its goals and capabilities to the world
Russia's Northern Fleet test-fired Oniks cruise missiles from its Bastion coastal defense systems in the Franz Josef Land archipelago in Arkhangelsk region, Sept. 13, 2025
Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest
BRUSSELS
Finland is closely monitoring Russia's ongoing Zapad military drills taking place in Russia, Belarus, as well as the Baltic and Barents Sea, the commander of the Finnish Defense Forces (FDF) said Monday.
Speaking at the National Defense Course in Helsinki, Janne Jaakkola said the drills are being done at a tense moment as Russia continues its strikes in Ukraine, public broadcaster YLE reported.
Russia is using the Zapad exercises to demonstrate its goals and capabilities to the world, he said.
"We remember well how the Zapad 21 exercise was used as a framework for preparations for the war in Ukraine, with troops staying in training areas after the exercise," Jaakkola said, referring to a drill in September 2021, just months before the outbreak of the war in February 2022.
He warned that the current drill could also involve "unexpected turns of events."
Around 13,000 troops are reportedly taking part in the exercise, but Jaakkola mentioned that in 2021 Moscow initially announced a similar figure, while the actual number was later estimated at 200,000.
He underlined that Russia is seeking to destabilize the West, pointing to recent airspace violations in Poland and Romania, and stressed that new methods are needed to counter the growing use of warfare drones.
"It is of course not cost-effective to respond to the threat of cheap drones with valuable, advanced weapons systems," he said.
Finland's Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen also said Finnish and US troops will do extensive joint training in Finland this autumn.
"In the future, we will see more and more US troops in Finland on land, at sea and in the air," Hakkanen said.
Describing Russia as "weak but dangerous," Hakkanen said President Vladimir Putin will have to take more risks and increasingly rely on support from China and North Korea.
Finland has the longest border of any EU member state with Russia. In 1939, the USSR crossed the border in an invasion, fought fiercely by Finland, and one still remembered in its heavy fortifications and defense infrastructure.
