Local defence exercise visible in South Karelia in early March

The local defence exercise ”Karelian Stone 26” will be held in areas of Lappeenranta, Taipalsaari, Savitaipale, and Imatra during 2–6 March 2026.

Exercise to develop local forces for national defence requirements

Extending across the nation, the local defence network has increasingly demanding tasks involving combat missions, supporting allied forces, and safeguarding society’s critical functions. The objective of the local defence exercise is to develop competence of local forces in South Karelia in co-operation with other authorities, the business sector and partners.

Exercise to be visible and audible

Exercise activity will be visible in the form of training audience troops, and military vehicles and agency vehicles in traffic. Authorities will warn of the forces' operating, and control traffic where necessary.

In specific exercise sites, blank drilling ammunition may be used, and the exercise may cause noise at different hours of the day.  In exercise sites, instructors and umpires wearing high-visibility vests will control the setting.

Exercise’s versatile composition

The exercise will be participated by troops from the Karelia Brigade, Army Academy, Utti Jaeger Regiment, Karelia Air Wing, 1. Logistic Regiment, and the Finnish Defence Forces’ C5 Agency, as well as from the Virginia National Guard.

Additionally, the exercise will be participated by, among other, City of Lappeenranta, City of Imatra, Municipality of Taipalsaari, Southeast Finland Police, Southeast Finland Border Guard District, South Karelia Rescue Department, Southeast Finland Economic Development Centre, Wellbeing Services County of South Karelia, Fintraffic, South Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, and National Defence Association’s District of Southeast Finland.

The total strength of the training audience force will be up to 1,100 personnel and 150 vehicles. The exercise will be commanded by Deputy Commander of the Karelia Brigade, Colonel Ari Määttä.

Community event at Lappeenranta market square

On Wednesday 4 March at 11-14 a community event open to all will be held at Lappeenranta market square (Address: Snellmaninkatu 14, Lappeenranta).

The event will display vehicles and equipment of the Finnish Defence Forces and participating agencies. Additionally, there will be hourly activity demos by a military police company (at 11:30, 12:30 and 13:30). On the spot will also be the Soldier’s Home Canteen, and all are welcome to buy coffee with jam doughnuts plus familiarise with the exercise!

Follow the exercise on social media

The Karelian Stone 26 -exercise is a part of the Army-led series of local defence exercises held twice a year across Finland.

The exercise can be followed on social media with hashtags #KarelianStone26, #paikallispuolustus, #KARPR, and #MAASK.

For additional information on the local defence exercises in the spring, please see the Army release (link).