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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Miranda Bryant in Rovaniemi. Photography by Jouni Porsanger

Santa at war: ‘home’ town in Finland hosts Nato soldiers as Russian threat looms

NATO Russia Finland Santa Claus Rovaniemi Lapland Europe Ukraine
Tourists walk around Santa Claus Village in the dark
Santa Claus Village. The tourist attraction is north of Rovaniemi, which is soon expected to become a key base for a Nato battlegroup. Photograph: Jouni Porsanger/The Guardian

Billed as the official home town of Santa Claus, or joulupukki as he is known in Finland, the city of Rovaniemi offers every imaginable Father Christmas-related experience – from a visit to his “office” on the Arctic Circle to reindeer sleigh rides. He even has his own branch of the Finnish design house Marimekko.

But this Christmas season, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world coming in search of Santa, Finnish Lapland’s snow-covered capital is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international military visitors.

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