BRITISH troops join a major exercise on Nato’s border with Russia as Finnish soldiers prepare to defend their country.
Around 50 from the Edinburgh-based 3 Rifles spent six weeks training in the Arctic in temperatures as low as -28C.
They then joined 3,000 conscripts, reservists and regulars from the Finnish army in Vuosanka, around 20 miles from Russia and 400 miles north of Helsinki.
The war in Ukraine has raised concerns in Finland of a Russian invasion there.
The British contingent were impressed with the cold-weather skills of their hosts and were aware of how seriously the Finns were preparing.
Major Henry Wootton, leading the company, said: “It is really impressive to see a country that is orientated for defence.
“They have a set-in-stone defence plan and everyone contributes to that with their conscript service when they are 18.”
Describing many Finns as “outdoorsmen and women”, Major Wootton said his men had learned from their hosts on adapting to the conditions, even if they were less experienced when it came to soldiering.
He added: “Clearly as a professional army, we have had more time to practice but we also come on the back foot because we don’t know the country and the environment as well as them.”
Rifleman Aaron Hunter, 21, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said the threat of a Russian invasion was one of the main reasons for training in Finland.
He said: “It’s a big talking point for the Finns and they think it’s a very high-level threat that could be around the corner – who knows?”
