Rovaniemi, the snowy capital of Lapland in Finland, is known worldwide as ‘Santa’s Village’. Every year this time is filled with tourists from all over the world who wander the illuminated, snow-covered streets and enjoy the traditional festivities. This year, however, the city is a unique intersection, where the timeless Christmas atmosphere coexists with the harsh reality of geopolitical tensions in Europe.
Alongside the festive decorations and throngs of carefree visitors, NATO troops from Finland, Sweden, the UK and Poland move into the town and nearby training grounds.
Military mobility next to Christmas lights
In recent weeks, thousands of NATO troops have passed through Rovaniemi, which also has an air base, to reach nearby Rovajarvi, one of Europe’s largest military exercise areas, where they train and prepare for a possible attack by Russia. Rovajarvi is about 90 km from the Russian border.
Last week, while the Santa Claus Village amusement park was full of excited children – and quite a few adults – flocking to meet Santa Claus, in Rovajarvi
almost 1,000 soldiers took part in exercise Lapland Steel 25. The exercise was held immediately after Northern Strike 225, which brought together more than 2,000 soldiers.
The unusual image does not go unnoticed by tourists: the established tours with sleighs and reindeer are now accompanied by flypasts of warplanes. Santa Park, an underground theme park that kids love, doubles as a shelter, a subtle but real reminder that even in a “magical” city, preparedness now matters.
In fact, Rovaniemi is soon expected to become a central base for Finland’s Forward Land Forces (FLF) – a Swedish-led NATO military unit intended to act as a deterrent on the eastern border.
Defense preparedness: Finland’s role
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tensions in the Russia-Europe relationship have escalated. For example, last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was “ready” for war “if Europe wants it”, amid deadlock in peace talks.
In the event of a new Russian attack, Finland’s border is considered one of the possible invasion routes. Meanwhile, the Finnish military has warned that once the war in Ukraine ends, Russia may move more troops to the border.
NATO regularly conducts training exercises in northern Finland to prepare its forces for operations in extreme conditions, enhancing both cooperation between its member militaries and defense readiness along Europe’s northern flank.
Finland’s security environment has changed significantly since it joined NATO in April 2023, ending decades of military neutrality. The country shares a 1,340 km land border with Russia — the longest between any NATO member and Russia. As a result, Finland’s arctic and northern regions are becoming more and more strategically important.
Finland maintains conscription for men, who after their service remain in reserve until about age 50, regularly participating in refresher training. With a population of 5.5 million, the country could muster an army of up to 900,000 in the event of an attack. As reported by the British Independent, British soldiers taking part in exercises in Finland say they are impressed by the Finns’ ability to cope with the extreme cold and how seriously they take preparation.
