NATO's naval exercise Freezing Winds has been ongoing for several weeks. It involves over 5,000 naval personnel from various allied nations.

In Estonia, commanders of the Finnish and Estonian navies met off the key island of Hiiumaa.

Estonian–Finnish defense cooperation has significantly intensified since Finland joined NATO in 2023. This applies both within the context of the alliance and bilaterally. The maritime border between the two countries is not a dividing line for their naval forces, however.

"It is entirely normal routine that we communicate with the Finnish Navy at the naval operations center level on a daily basis. The sea area between Estonia and Finland, which we call the Gulf of Finland, ties us together and gives us a unified operational space here locally," commander of the Estonian Navy (Merevägi), Cdre Ivo Värk, explained.

Värk's Finnish counterpart, RAdm Tuomas Tiilikainen, said the exercise helped train rapid response at sea.

"Well obviously I cannot go into operational details, but I would say that exercises like that help to reduce the time gap between, let's say, the plan to action," he told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Situational awareness of what is happening in the Gulf of Finland remains strong, Värk noted. This is not least due to its sensitive strategic location and recent real security incidents.

"I believe this is one of the most closely monitored maritime areas in the world overall, with among the best situational awareness," Värk said.

Sunday's exercise on Hiiumaa also involved local members of the Estonian Defense League (Kaitseliit). Due to the island's location and topography, they form part of the Navy's Coastal Defence Division (Rannikukaitse divisjon).

"The Estonian Navy has given us a radar to use, and they rely on us. We have to produce a picture for them, and that's how it works. Every day, we learn something new — no joke. This is interesting, it's cool, and there is always learning," Hiiumaa Defense League member Marek Rätsep said.

The defensive spirit of the Hiidlased, as natives of Hiiumaa are known, remains mighty, he noted.

Naval personnel also cannot ignore the need to learn lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine, Värk added.

"What the Ukraine war has also given us is the knowledge that conventional weapon systems we use as well — naval mines and anti-ship missiles — are still highly effective, and no strong countermeasures against them have been found," he said.

NATO ships from #SNMCMG1 are back in Finnish waters for Ex #FreezingWinds25, boosting defence readiness in the harsh conditions of the northern #BalticSea❄️⚓️Working alongside the Armed Forces, Allies sharpen interoperability, protect sea lines of communication, & strengthen… pic.twitter.com/LFV9vKiXpn

— NATO Maritime Command (@NATO_MARCOM) November 27, 2025

Ships from Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) returned to Finnish waters to take part in the annual multinational joint exercise Freezing Winds 25, NATO said. Vessels assigned to the group assembled off Turku before setting sail for the Gulf of Finland.

Freezing Winds unites maritime forces from numerous allied and partner nations. It brings together combat, support, and transport vessels, alongside fighter jets, helicopters, and maritime patrol aircraft. It also deals with the unique challenges of a Baltic Sea's harsh winter.

SNMCMG1 provides continuous maritime mine countermeasures (MCM) capabilities for NATO missions. It operates under Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) in Northwood, United Kingdom. MARCOM commands all NATO maritime forces, and its commander is the Alliance's primary maritime advisor.

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