"Donna Coyle and her daughter Lyla, holidaymakers from Scotland, were surprised to hear military aircraft while on reindeer safari. We didn't know anything about it, said Donna. Hannah Schlicker, from Stuttgart, Germany, said it was impossible to get away from the reality of Europe at war even in Santa's home town. Donna Coyle and her daughter Lyla, from Scotland, said they heard military aircraft while on a reindeer safari."
"In recent weeks, thousands of Nato soldiers have been through Rovaniemi, which also has an airbase, for training exercises at nearby Rovajarvi, western Europe's largest military exercise area, where they are preparing for a potential attack by Russia. Rovajarvi is about 55 miles from the Russian border. Lapland Steel 25, a joint military exercise, tested the capabilities of nearly 1,000 troops from Sweden, Finland and the UK."
Rovaniemi functions as Finland's Santa Claus capital and offers Arctic Circle Santa experiences, reindeer sleigh rides and a Marimekko branch. The city is hosting growing NATO military activity, with thousands of soldiers training at nearby Rovajarvi, western Europe's largest military exercise area, and exercises like Lapland Steel 25 involving nearly 1,000 troops from Sweden, Finland and the UK. Rovajarvi lies about 55 miles from the Russian border. Rovaniemi is expected to become a base for Finland's Forward Land Forces (FLF), the Swedish-led NATO battlegroup aimed at deterring threats on the eastern border. Tourists have noticed aircraft and felt reminders of wider European tensions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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