In March, Finland and Sweden, both of which are considering joining the US-led NATO military alliance, held joint NATO military exercises. The exercise had been planned for some time, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 added to the tensions in the war game. Moscow describes its actions in Ukraine as a “special military operation.” read more “The recent increase in NATO activity in the Arctic is a cause for concern. Another large-scale military exercise of the alliance was recently conducted in northern Norway. In our view, this does not contribute to the security of the region,” Korchunov said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register According to Korchunov, such activity raises the risk of “adverse events”, which, in addition to security risks, can also cause serious damage to the Arctic ecosystem. He did not specify what kind of incident could be reported. One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden and Finland joined NATO, Russia would develop nuclear weapons and supersonic missiles in a European enclave. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reuters report Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.