About 30,000 soldiers from 27 NATO countries are participating in the exercises, called “Cold Response 2022”.
This exercise is the largest of its kind for the defense alliance in 2022, and is scheduled to continue between mid-March and mid-April.
The maneuvers include land, sea and air weapons and troop deployments to counter an attack on an alliance country.
Normally, invitations are sent to members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, including Europe, to send observers to attend the exercises.
These exercises were planned long before the war in Ukraine.
“Russia thanked the offer to send observers (to attend) the Cold Response 22, but it refused,” said Norwegian army spokesman Priben Orsan. The reasons for the refusal are not known yet.