“Operation North Wind” - against Russia's new Iskander missile
"North Wind" is a 10-day exercise organized by Sweden, Norway and Finland to find solutions to counter Russian "invasion" and test the capabilities of air defense systems to counter the new Russian Iskander missile.
The French Information website reported that 3,000 Swedish soldiers, 4,500 Norwegian soldiers, 1,500 Finnish soldiers, 700 British special forces soldiers, as well as "several hundred" American soldiers will participate in international exercises near the border with Finland.
The bulletin notes that in the fall, large-scale NATO exercises involving 31 countries took place in the region. However, this time the exercises were conducted with the three Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway and Finland) taking the lead, which has not happened since the end of the Cold War.
“This is not by chance, but because Northern Europe is taking the threat from its big neighbor Russia very seriously,” the article writes.
The French Information website lists relatively complex incidents that are believed to indicate the presence of a Russian threat: including GPS problems in the area, the close proximity of a Swedish aircraft to a Russian MiG, and the arrest of an alleged Russian spy in Sweden.
The Iskander complex is controlling the Black Sea coast.
"And especially - globally - the Scandinavian countries are concerned about the deployment of new Russian weapons, including the latest version of the Iskander missile. Its range is at least 500 km, it can carry a nuclear warhead, and everything indicates that Russia has installed such missiles in Kaliningrad, that is, in the ring around them," the document says.
As the author of the article notes, the cancellation of the INF Treaty by Moscow and Washington does not add to optimism.
The "North Wind" exercise will last until March 28 and will include various activities, France Info said.
“First of all, we are talking about ground operations involving artillery and infantry, since the main fear is the same as during the Cold War: simply a land invasion,” the website writes. However, air force exercises and testing of air defense systems are also being held. The goal is to find a solution to counter these notorious Iskander missiles, whose speed and movement cause concern for many military experts,” the author emphasizes.