OSLO, March 12 (AFP) - Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental. As war rages in Ukraine, NATO and its partners will launch exercises in Norway on Monday (Mar 14) aimed at coming to the rescue of one of its own.

Some 30,000 troops, 200 aircraft and 50 vessels from 27 nations will take part in the Cold Response 2022 exercise, the largest exercise involving NATO troops this year.

Kicking off on Mar 14, the manoeuvres will enable Western nations to hone their combat skills in Norway's cold climate, including in the Arctic, on the ground, at sea and in the skies.

The exercise will be held just a few hundred kilometres from the Russian border, and while it was planned long before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, it now has added significance because of the war.

"This exercise is extremely important for the security of Norway and its allies. We will practice an allied reinforcement of Norway", Norwegian Defence Minister Odd Roger Enoksen told AFP.

"It is not being held because of the Russian authorities' attack on Ukraine, but given the backdrop there is a heightened significance", he said.

The guardian of NATO's northern border in Europe, Norway is keen to test how it would manage Allied reinforcements on its soil, in line with Article 5 of NATO's charter, which requires member states to come to the aid of another member state under attack.

Neighbouring Sweden and Finland, which are officially military non-aligned but increasingly close partners of NATO, will also participate in Cold Response, which will conclude on Apr 1.