Sweden and Finland have jointly created a new strike brigade of 4,000–5,000 troops, located near Finnish Lapland.
Points of attention
- Finland and Sweden have created a joint strike brigade consisting of 4,000–5,000 troops to enhance their defense capabilities against potential threats from Russia.
- The brigade includes soldiers from the Swedish Mechanized Norrbotten Brigade, with expertise in combat operations in harsh winter conditions, and is equipped with pre-positioned weapons in Lapland, including Archer self-propelled howitzers.
- The joint brigade will be supported by British Eurofighter and F-35 fighters, as well as Apache attack helicopters, in the event of an armed conflict, further strengthening their defense readiness.
Sweden and Finland have strengthened border protection with Russia
The core of the new formation is made up of soldiers from the Swedish Mechanized Norrbotten Brigade, which has experience in fighting in harsh winter conditions. It consists of five battalions and support units.
To speed up the brigade's readiness, weapons were deployed in Lapland in advance. These include Swedish Archer self-propelled howitzers, which can hit targets at a distance of up to 50 km.
In the event of an armed conflict, the new brigade will receive air support — it will be covered by British Eurofighter and F-35 fighters, as well as Apache attack helicopters.
Between 5,000 and 7,000 Finnish troops will be permanently stationed alongside the new NATO brigade.
Together, these forces are equivalent in size to the Russian units deployed in the northern direction.
Let us remind you that the European Union will build a three-part system to protect the eastern flank from Russia. We are talking about three "walls" — sea, drone and land. The project will be implemented in cooperation with Ukraine and taking into account Ukrainian combat experience.
The European Union countries also plan to secure their eastern borders from a possible Russian invasion by creating a kind of water barrier by restoring marshes.
