Newly enlarged Nato starts Scandinavian drill in defence of Nordic turf

Swedish Navy minesweeper HMS Koster patrols in the Stockholm Archipelago (Marko Saavala/AP)

Nato will kick off an exercise to defend its newly expanded Nordic territory when more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 nations take part in drills lasting nearly two weeks in the northern regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden.

With more than 4,000 Finnish soldiers taking part, the Norway-led Nordic Response 2024 represents the Nato newcomer’s largest ever participation in a foreign exercise, according to Finland’s military.