On Saturday, 8 November, defence blog All Things Nordic revealed details of ‘Taiga Shield 25’, a week-long military exercise that will bring 15 000 Finnish and allied troops to a 1 000-kilometre stretch of the Finland–Russia border later this month. Although primarily a defence drill, the operation has significant mobility implications: selected road corridors to key border crossings at Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa and Salla will close intermittently, and air-navigation warnings (NOTAMs) have been filed for low-level helicopter traffic near Lappeenranta and Kuusamo.
Since Finland joined NATO in 2023, the Border Guard has tightened surveillance and restricted recreational cross-border traffic. Taiga Shield 25 is the first exercise to integrate the new NATO regional headquarters in Mikkeli, just 140 km from the frontier. Live-fire artillery shoots and drone counter-measures will test logistical corridors that are also used by timber hauliers and seasonal workers commuting from eastern Finland’s saw-mill towns.
![Finland to stage largest post-NATO border drill, heightening security along Russian frontier]()
For multinational firms with sites in Karelia and Lapland, the biggest concern is freight timing. The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) have warned that heavy-goods vehicles may face convoy requirements or overnight halts during certain manoeuvre phases between 27 November and 4 December. Companies that rely on just-in-time deliveries—particularly the forestry, metals and battery-chemicals sectors—should accelerate shipments or re-route via western ports such as Turku and Uusikaupunki.
Cross-border passenger traffic remains limited after Helsinki decided in April to keep all eastern checkpoints closed “until further notice” in response to what it calls Russia’s ‘instrumentalised migration’ tactics. Nonetheless, business travellers using airfields at Kuopio or Kajaani should budget extra time for security checks and be prepared to show formal invitation letters.
The drill also underscores a broader shift in Finland’s mobility landscape: security considerations are now integral to route planning, visa processing for visiting contractors and expatriate assignments in the east. Global mobility teams should track FDF bulletins and prepare contingency accommodation for personnel who might be delayed by road closures.
Since Finland joined NATO in 2023, the Border Guard has tightened surveillance and restricted recreational cross-border traffic. Taiga Shield 25 is the first exercise to integrate the new NATO regional headquarters in Mikkeli, just 140 km from the frontier. Live-fire artillery shoots and drone counter-measures will test logistical corridors that are also used by timber hauliers and seasonal workers commuting from eastern Finland’s saw-mill towns.
For multinational firms with sites in Karelia and Lapland, the biggest concern is freight timing. The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) have warned that heavy-goods vehicles may face convoy requirements or overnight halts during certain manoeuvre phases between 27 November and 4 December. Companies that rely on just-in-time deliveries—particularly the forestry, metals and battery-chemicals sectors—should accelerate shipments or re-route via western ports such as Turku and Uusikaupunki.
Cross-border passenger traffic remains limited after Helsinki decided in April to keep all eastern checkpoints closed “until further notice” in response to what it calls Russia’s ‘instrumentalised migration’ tactics. Nonetheless, business travellers using airfields at Kuopio or Kajaani should budget extra time for security checks and be prepared to show formal invitation letters.
The drill also underscores a broader shift in Finland’s mobility landscape: security considerations are now integral to route planning, visa processing for visiting contractors and expatriate assignments in the east. Global mobility teams should track FDF bulletins and prepare contingency accommodation for personnel who might be delayed by road closures.
