Finnish Navy Conducts Exercise in the Baltic Sea

The Finnish Coastal Fleet is conducting the annual winter operations exercise LUMIUKKO26 in the Gulf of Finland and the Archipelago Sea between 6 and 12 February 2026. The exercise focuses on combat techniques and seamanship in ice conditions and severe cold to maintain maritime capability during winter conditions.

– The exercise involves ships from several different classes, says Commander Toni Joutsia, Chief of Staff of the Coastal Fleet, in a press release. The sub-exercises include ensuring maritime safety, ship artillery firing, naval mining, sea rescue, and various winter maritime exercises. According to Joutsia, the personnel's expertise is challenged in several ways during the operations.

In addition to the Coastal Fleet's own units from the 6th Surface Warfare Flotilla, 7th Surface Warfare Flotilla, and 8th Support Flotilla, personnel and materiel from the Finnish Border Guard (Rajavartiolaitos) are also participating. The exercise takes advantage of the Baltic Sea's varying weather, where the combination of strong winds and ice-covered seas places specific demands on both the ships' ice navigation capabilities and the personnel's specialised skills, according to the statement.

The purpose of the recurring operations is to ensure that the Coastal Fleet can monitor territorial integrity at sea year-round. The Finnish expertise in maritime operations in Nordic climates is described by the Coastal Fleet as a valuable competence within the framework of NATO cooperation.