NATO conducts air exercises near the Russian border.
NATO has launched large-scale military exercises in countries bordering Russia. According to the alliance's statement, the main exercise locations will be Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
According to the TASS news agency.NATO officially announced the launch of a tactical air exercise called Ramstein Flag 2026 (RAFL 26).
According to a statement on NATO's website, the NATO Air Force exercise will take place from June 8 to 19. The event will involve 19 member states and will deploy more than 150 aircraft.
Key areas for the exercise include Denmark, Spain, Sweden, and two countries that share a border with Russia: Norway and Finland. The core objective of this operation is to enhance the collective military training capabilities of the entire alliance.
According to NATO data, this training exercise involves a large air force. Specifically, more than 200 aircraft will be deployed, conducting an average of about 150 sorties per day.
Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security of RANEPA (the Academy of Public Administration and National Economy under the President of the Russian Federation), told TASS that NATO's air force exercises in Finland will place Helsinki at the forefront of the alliance's forces in the Arctic region, creating new threats along the border with Russia.
Expert Stepanov emphasized: "Finland has been pushed to the forefront of NATO's military presence in the Arctic and is now a key transport and logistics hub for the alliance in the region."
He further analyzed: "In practical terms, this is the end point of a forward line toward Russia, where member states can accumulate their offensive capabilities. And as we see, based on the nature and purpose of the Ramstein Flag 2026 exercise, the main focus will be on the air force component."
