Finland expects further Russian troop buildup along their shared border after the end of the war in Ukraine. Moscow has reinforced its military bases near NATO's border.
Points of attention
- Finland expects an increase in the military threat from Russia after the end of the war in Ukraine.
- Moscow has reinforced military bases near NATO's border, leading to an escalation of tensions in the region.
- The Finnish Armed Forces are preparing for the worst-case scenario and are closely monitoring Russia's preparations.
Finland expects escalation on the border with Russia
This was stated by Major General Sami Nurmi, Head of the Strategic Department of the Finnish Defense Forces.
Nurmi said the military is "very closely" monitoring Moscow's maneuvers and that their task as part of the NATO alliance is to "prepare for the worst."
Satellite images published by the New York Times show the expansion of military infrastructure near the Finnish border, including rows of tents, military equipment, the reconstruction of fighter jet shelters and the construction of a previously unused helicopter base.
They are changing structures, and we see moderate preparations when it comes to building infrastructure near our borders, which means that once the war in Ukraine ends, as we hope, they will start returning the forces that fought in Ukraine, especially the ground forces.
Nurmi said that Finland is monitoring the preparations "very closely."
They're doing it in stages. I would say these are still moderate numbers. It's not a big construction, but in certain places new infrastructure is being built and new equipment is being prepared and imported.
According to him, it is difficult to say whether the Russians are preparing to send more troops to Ukraine or whether they are preparing to build up their forces near the border.
But I think they do both.
Immediately after the attack on Ukraine, the following happened: we applied for NATO membership, and then, when we were accepted, Russia announced that it would begin to change its military posture on the other side of the border.
Finnish citizens have become accustomed to the looming threat from their eastern neighbor, but hundreds of people are still enrolling in emergency preparedness courses.
The Finnish Border Guard has announced the completion of the first 35 km of a planned 200 km fence on its eastern border with Russia. The border was closed more than a year after Helsinki accused Moscow of sending asylum seekers to Finland as part of a "hybrid operation". The fence is also equipped with cameras and sensors to distinguish between people and animals crossing the border.
