Finland to deploy 4-5 thousand NATO troops near Russian border, media says
Illustrative photo: Finland will deploy 4-5,000 NATO troops near the border with Russia (Getty Images)
The Finnish authorities have decided to deploy a 4,000-5,000-strong NATO armored brigade near the border with Russia to deter external threats, Iltalehti reports.
The defense forces and the government have concluded that Finland needs the presence of soldiers from NATO countries on its territory to strengthen preventive deterrence.
The new brigade is already being formed and will be deployed in Mikkeli, which is located near the border with Russia.
To lead the new military, a NATO headquarters is being created, which will be subordinated to the Alliance's headquarters in Norfolk, USA.
Preparations for the establishment of the headquarters have been underway since last spring. In particular, then Rear Admiral Tim Henry, Deputy Commander of NATO's Norfolk Joint Operations Headquarters, visited Mikkeli.
During the visit, Henry said that NATO wanted to send a direct message to the Russians and do it publicly. He emphasized that the Alliance was very clear in its position, stating that Russia was a threat to the Euro-Atlantic area.
The armored brigade will be joined by, among others, Swedish and Norwegian soldiers. The decision has already been made and it is expected that NATO representatives and the Finnish authorities will announce the deployment of the new unit in the coming weeks.
Background
Yesterday, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said that the country was in talks with several NATO countries about deploying their soldiers in Finland. Such a possibility exists even in the absence of a real military threat.
In early August, the chairman of the Swedish parliament's defense committee, Peter Hultqvist, said that Sweden intends to deploy its soldiers in the Finnish province of Lapland, which borders Russia. According to him, such a move would send a strong signal to the Kremlin.
