More than 3,800 troops, mostly reservists, are taking part in “timely” local defence drills around the country.
Around 400 members of the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF), reservists and conscripts are taking part in local defence and emergency exercises across Central Finland this week.
The regional drills are part of broader local defence exercises across the entire country (siirryt toiseen palveluun) from 26 February to 11 March, involving a total of around 3,800 FDF personnel.
Led by the Parolannummi Armoured Brigade, the Keski-Suomi 22 (Central Finland 22) drills aim to prepare for emergency and exceptional situations requiring local defence intervention.
The drill teams in Central Finland will mainly be visible in Jyväskylä, Tikkakoski and Keuruu, according to the FDF. The exercises, scheduled from Monday to Friday this week, will primarily focus on the region of Central Finland, and will also extend to Pirkanmaa, Päijät-Häme and Kanta-Häme.
The exercise will utilise around 40 FDF vehicles, but does not involve the use of heavily armoured vehicles, personnel transport vehicles or flight operations, and the drills are led by Colonel Oula Asteljoki.
A drill held on Tuesday was held at a vacant elderly care hospital in Puppula, where troops will practise how to manoeuvre in a building in which it is unknown whether there are enemy combatants present, according to Lieutenant Colonel Yrjö Lehtonen.
“The building is an excellent place for the drill. This is wide-ranging, where the three-dimensional aspect of combat in a built-up area comes to the fore,” Lehtonen said.
The troops train in exercises on fighting special forces as well as guarding and protecting areas from attack.
The exercises are particularly dramatic amid the backdrop of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. According to Lehtonen, the drills are not directly related to the ongoing conflict, but he characterised them as timely.
“The current situation underscores how important this is. We are practising exactly what is happening in Ukraine,” he explained.
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