Russia is building military infrastructure near the Finnish border, possibly as part of a broader military expansion effort aimed at preparing Russian forces for a possible future conflict with NATO.
This has been warned by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Finnish national broadcaster Yle has published satellite images from between June 2024 and October 2025 showing Russian construction at the Rybka military base in Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia (about 175 kilometers from the Finnish border).
Yle reported that the Soviet-era garrison area was almost completely abandoned at the beginning of the 21st century, but nowadays The 44th Army Corps from the Leningrad Military District will use the base. Yle reported that the Rybka military base already has a large air base and equipment warehouse.
Yle reported that satellite images from May and August 2025 show that Russia is also building a new military town in Kandalaksha, Murmansk Oblast (about 115 kilometers from the Finnish border) for the Lupche-Savino garrison, which Russia began building in the winter of 2024-2025 for a new artillery brigade and an engineering brigade. ISW has previously reported on the expansion of other Russian military infrastructure along the border with Finland.
In 2024, Russia restructured the Western Military District into the Leningrad and Moscow Military Districts, likely with the aim of improving its strategic command along its northern border and taking a stand against NATO along the Finnish border.
The Russian military command also formed the 44th Army in 2024 as part of this effort.
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