File Photo Lehtikuva.
Large-scale military exercises were held on Tuesday in Rovajärvi, the Finnish Lapland area and Lohtaja, the western coastal city of Finland.
The military drills will last for about two weeks until June 5, said the Finnish Defense Forces.
Nearly 5,000 conscripts and Defense Force staff from the Army, the Frontier Guard Troops, as well as the Air and Navy Forces, participated in the exercises in Rovajarvi.
The troops started to be deployed there on Tuesday before the formal exercises begin on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Finnish Defense Forces also started an air defense military exercise in Lohtaja on Tuesday. The drill will last 10 days until May 29. Around 2,000 troops took part in the exercise.
The Finnish Defense Forces said that the set of military exercises is a regular one held annually, but it is the largest series of military maneuvers ever in the history of the Defense Forces.
