This commander of a Multiple Launch Rocket System said no wildlife was harmed in NATO’s Arctic artillery exercise this week

Other army chiefs told me “accidents still happen” despite vigorous checks, as they sometimes find dead reindeer next to bomb craters

As for assault rifles, Finnish commander Olli Taskinen told Nato troops to keep their firearms “frozen all the time”

“If you take this inside, all the snow and ice melts and gets in the gun, then you go outside again and it freezes completely. Leave it outside your tent.”

The demos are designed to test troops in harsh winter terrains after Finlands accession to NATO doubled the alliance’s border with Russia

We were also shown similar “deep strikes” from Finnish forces using K9 self-propelled guns

(One of the blasts made me drop my phone…)

NATO’s largest ever artillery exercise is taking place on the outskirts of the Arctic Circle this week

Finland is hosting alliance forces for the first time, including British troops who live-fired brand new 52-calibre Archer Howitzers today👇