Russia is expanding its military presence along its border with Finland, the "Wall Street Journal" reported. New tanks are being deployed in the Russian republic of Karelia, which could be used to attack NATO, according to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Russia is also working on expanding its military bases in Karelia, as well as upgrading train lines and other infrastructure near the country's western border.
The American media "Wall Street Journal" also reports that the Kremlin plans to establish a new army headquarters in Petrozavodsk, the capital of the republic of Karelia, which borders Finland, in the coming years. Finland, which in 1940. was forced to cede territory to the Soviet Union, has been trying to avoid confrontation with Moscow for decades. Now, having joined NATO after the invasion of Ukraine, it is strengthening its border with electronic defenses and barbed wire fences.
New tanks are being kept for "future use"
In addition, Moscow has already integrated its roads and railways with those of Belarus. ISW sources report that the Kremlin's plans for the next few years also include the construction of new barracks and training camps. A senior Finnish military official commented that Russia is not using "almost any" new tanks on the front line in Ukraine, but instead is keeping them for "future use". Russia is also rebuilding the Leningrad and Moscow military districts, which will be reinforced. According to the Institute for the Study of War, this is a sign that Moscow is preparing for a potential major military conflict with NATO.
"When the troops return (from Ukraine), they will be looking across the border at a country they consider an adversary", Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a Moscow-based think tank, told the "Wall Street Journal". "The logic of the last decade shows that some form of conflict with NATO awaits us".
Updated Strategy and New Troops
Russian authorities are also preparing to update Russia's National Security Strategy. The likely reason is to reflect Vladimir Putin's greater territorial ambitions in Europe and ongoing efforts to justify future aggression against NATO, ISW reports. The Secretary of the Russian National Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, confirmed to the Kremlin news service TASS that Russia is preparing to update its National Security Strategy “to take into account the new problems and threats it faces.”
In recent months, Russia has also seen a sharp increase in recruitment due to generous one-time bonuses for signing contracts at both the federal and regional levels. In some cases, the payments can reach about $20,000. According to US estimates, about 30,000 Russians are registering each month, which is about 25,000 more than last summer, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to some Eastern European intelligence officials, their ranks are already swelling by about 40,000 soldiers per month. Some European intelligence estimates suggest that the additional manpower has allowed the military to rotate units in Ukraine and build new ones.