Russia has begun construction on a brand new military base eerily near Finland’s eastern border for the primary time for the reason that USSR collapsed.
Recent aerial photos show a dozen latest barracks under construction after work began in late 2025 to clear forest nearby.
The bottom could accommodate between 4,000 and 6,000 personnel, military expert and former Finnish intelligence officer Marko Eklund found.
The brand new base and the installation of troops there could pose a security issue for Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia.
Elkund stressed, nonetheless: ‘You can’t construct a contemporary armed forces with rusty tanks from Siberian training grounds, so this can require considerable money and time.’
Metro ventured to the country’s Russian border last summer after the Finnish government closed the eastern side of it following attempts by Russia to send an influx of ‘refugees’ into the country.
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Joel Linnainmäki, a research fellow on the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told us on the time that there had been little to report for the reason that border closed – but added that the Finnish government continues to be wary of Russian movement nearby.
In Kamenka, around 35 miles from Finnish territory, some 130 installations able to housing 2,000 troops were arrange last yr.
Finland has erected a 10-foot fence, topped with barbed wire, to line a big portion of its border with Russia and stop illegal crossings.
Satellite images previously two years have shown a major increase in barracks, aircraft and other infrastructure at 4 locations near the frontier, which could be a serious staging ground for a possible Russian attack on NATO.
Slowly, Russia is re-establishing the Leningrad military district for defensive capabilities – likely in hopes of using it for an offensive if it has the power to accomplish that in the long run.
Russia has been beefing up its military presence after Sweden and Finland joined NATO years ago in response to Russian threats made following its invasion of Ukraine.
Finland’s membership prolonged NATO’s border with Russia by greater than 800 miles. Finland has also moved to strengthen its defences, and is currently organising a brand new NATO forward command centre in Lapland.
Finland warned that Russia has already been attacking it with ‘hybrid war’ tactics equivalent to massive cyberattacks and ‘weaponised’ mass migration.
The Finnish government previously closed the eastern border, after accusing the Kremlin of helping around 1,300 people from Syria, Iraq and Yemen cross over it in 2023.
Russia has denied the allegations, while Putin has dismissed claims he could attack Finland as ‘total nonsense’.
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