Despite the facilities being equipped, Russians are sending military equipment from Petrozavodsk to Ukraine.
Russia began to set up military bases near the border with Finland on the territory of the Alakurtti garrison and the military warehouse in Petrozavodsk. This was reported by Yle.
Satellite photos show that Russian troops have built large hangars for maintenance and storage of equipment. The report notes that despite this large-scale construction, combat vehicles are being shipped from Petrozavodsk to Ukraine.
Analysts believe that such construction projects are the first serious sign that Russia has decided to start investing in military bases near Finland again for the first time in many years. Prior to that, for many years, the Russian authorities had not invested in border garrisons.
Experts noted that Finland’s accession to NATO will intensify Russia’s efforts in the region. The Alliance will have new opportunities to monitor and deter the Russian Federation.
Strengthening NATO’s position in Scandinavia
Finland is working on a project that will connect NATO’s Atlantic coast with Norway and Kemijärvi, an hour’s drive from the Russian border. One example of Finnish infrastructure modernization is the improvement of the railway around Tornio on the border with Sweden.
The work is expected to be completed in 2024, and will make it easier for the Alliance to move reinforcements and equipment from across the Atlantic to Kemijärvi. It is seven hours from Russia’s nuclear bastion and military bases near Murmansk. According to the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, it is in the ports of this city that the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy is based, which includes 27 submarines, more than 40 warships, about 80 fighters and stockpiles of nuclear warheads and missiles.
