Russia is accelerating its military expansion near the border with Finland, a NATO member since April 2023, in what appears to be a direct response to the alliance’s growing presence in the region. Satellite imagery and intelligence reports cited by Sweden’s SVT Nyheter confirm that the Kremlin is constructing troop camps, vehicle storage sites, and reactivating military airbases close to Finnish territory.
Among the most significant developments is the deployment of around 150 military tents with the capacity to house approximately 2,000 soldiers in Kamenka, located just 55 kilometres from the Finnish border. This is accompanied by the construction of three sizeable warehouses in Petrozavodsk, some 160 kilometres away, which are reportedly designed to store up to 50 armoured vehicles.
Additionally, Russia has reactivated the Severomorsk-2 airfield, where helicopters have already been stationed. Military activity has also intensified at Olenya airbase, which Ukrainian sources claim is being used to launch strategic bombers for attacks on Ukraine.
This military build up coincides with the re-establishment of the Leningrad Military District command in December 2023. This structural shift underscores Russia’s intention to fortify its northwestern flank against what it perceives as NATO encroachment. Since Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO, the Russian dictator has repeatedly threatened to deliver a so-called “military-technical response”.
Finland’s Deputy Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen, believes Russia’s long term aim is to deploy five divisions, an army corps, and accompanying support units adjacent to the border. This would represent a formidable concentration of forces, reversing decades of relative peace and military minimalism in the far north.
These steps by Moscow demonstrate a return to Cold War style brinkmanship, reinforcing tensions across Europe’s northern frontier. The strategic consequences are not only regional but also global, as Russia’s military posture increasingly mirrors the aggressive and expansionist ambitions that led to its full scale invasion of Ukraine.
