Finland to Take Part in NATO’s Nuclear Deterrence Exercise in October — Defense Ministry
This April 2, 2009 file photo shows shadows cast on a wall decorated with the NATO logo and flags of NATO countries in Strasbourg, eastern France, before the start of the NATO summit which marked the organisation’s 60th anniversary. 
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Finland will participate in NATO’s Steadfast Noon nuclear deterrence exercise in October by sending staff officers, the Finnish Defense Ministry said on Friday. «Finland will participate in NATO’s annual nuclear deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon, from October 12 to 24,» the statement read. Finland will send staff officers to take part in the alliance’s maneuvers, the ministry said, adding that it assesses the most appropriate way of participation at these exercises on a case-by-case basis. The Defense Ministry also said that no actual nuclear weapons are used or moved during the Steadfast Noon exercise. The exercise begins on October 13 in Italy and involves 17 alliance nations, according to information on NATO’s website. Russian Ambassador to Helsinki Pavel Kuznetsov has told Sputnik that Finland is intensifying the training activities of its armed forces both domestically and abroad, and has increased the scale of exercises conducted in the immediate vicinity of the Russian border. The ambassador noted that Russia would base its military-political planning on the level of threats posed by Finland.
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