Large-scale NATO military exercises start in Estonia. These are one of the largest drills in the country in 31 years

Large-scale NATO exercises Siil 2022 (Hedgehog 2022), planned shortly before Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will be conducted in Estonia from 16 May to 3 June, reports Estonian public broadcaster ERR News.

This will be the 20th time military exercise of this kind will be held in the country. Approximately 15,000 conscripts, reservists, active duty servicemen, members of Estonian Defence League, and allies from 14 countries are planned to take part in the exercise, says NATO.

The maneuvers will involve American, British and Polish missile systems. The geography of the exercises will cover the area from the Danish island of Bornholm to the northern part of Latvia through the Estonian island of Saaremaa. According to NATO, this year's exercise in Estonia will be one of the largest in the country since 1991.

Other Alliance Exercises

NATO will also conduct Defender Europe and Swift Response exercises in Poland and eight other countries involving 18,000 service members from 20 countries.

Lithuania will host an exercise called Iron Wolf, which will involve 3,000 service members and 1,000 units of equipment, including German Leopard 2 tanks.

The Alliance also said that its partners Finland and Sweden, which are planning to apply for NATO membership, will take part in several joint exercises in the coming weeks. Currently, the military of the United States, United Kingdom, Estonia, and Latvia are participating in the Arrow 22 exercise in Finland.

NATO emphasizes that the exercise was planned long before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, Alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said, "exercises like these show that NATO stands strong and ready to protect our nations and defend against any threat."