UK and Baltic countries simulate war with Russia – Politico

Several northern European countries, including the UK, Nordic, and Baltic states, rehearsed a military conflict with Russia at a gathering in northern Norway this week, Politico reported on Friday. Ukrainian Defense Minister Denis Shmigal reportedly also attended.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed allegations of hostile intent toward Western nations and voiced concern over the growing military activity near its borders.

British military planners joined Nordic and Baltic defense ministers in Bodo, to simulate a conflict in a state bordering Russia, according to the outlet.

The drills in Bodo were conducted as part of a ‘Joint Expeditionary Force’ (JEF) of ten European NATO members – the Netherlands, Iceland, the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

The latter five share borders with Russia and have been among the most vocal critics of Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. All JEF countries are NATO members, with Finland having joined the US-led bloc in 2023 and Sweden following in 2024.

According to London, the meeting in Norway followed the conclusion last week of the JEF’s largest-ever military exercise. The two-month Tarassis operation held across the Nordic-Baltic region, involved over 1,700 British personnel alongside JEF allies.

British Defense Secretary John Healey told Politico that JEF nations could “best get NATO connected to take this (Russian aggression) more seriously.” 

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Western officials have claimed that Russia could threaten EU states, prompting a military buildup across the bloc. European NATO members agreed to boost military spending to as much as 5% of GDP, citing the alleged “Russian threat.” 

The push to boost spending followed renewed pressure from Washington. The administration of US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged NATO’s European members to take greater responsibility for their own security and increase armed forces investment, arguing that the US bears too much of the burden.

Moscow has consistently rejected allegations of hostile intent toward Western nations as “nonsense” and fearmongering, condemning what it describes as the West’s “reckless militarization.”