NATO will hold its Ramstein Flag 2026 tactical air exercises from June 8 to 19 across several countries, including areas near Russia’s borders. The alliance published information about the drills on its website on June 5.

The program will involve 19 countries. The main training sites will be in Denmark, Spain and Sweden, as well as Norway and Finland, both of which border Russia. NATO says the exercises are intended to strengthen joint military training among participating forces.

More than 200 aircraft will take part in the maneuvers. They are expected to carry out around 150 sorties a day. The drills will also include separate training on the use of air defense systems.

The exercises come as NATO expands its presence in Northern Europe. Earlier reports said a multinational headquarters for the alliance’s Forward Land Forces would begin operating in Rovaniemi, Finland, on June 6, according to the Finnish Ministry of Defence. The deployment of the structure in Lapland had previously been backed by NATO defense ministers. The headquarters is linked to the FLF forward presence tactical group within NATO’s Allied Land Forces, with Sweden assigned the leading role.

Russia has repeatedly pointed to what it describes as unprecedented NATO activity near its western borders in recent years. The alliance has been broadening such initiatives and explains them as part of efforts to deter aggression. Moscow has voiced concern over the bloc’s military buildup in Europe, while the Russian Foreign Ministry has said it is ready for equal dialogue with NATO and has called on Western countries to abandon the militarization of the continent.