Preparing for war with NATO? Russia expands military presence near Finland — ISW
Russia expands military presence near Finland (photo: Getty Images)
Russia is expanding its military infrastructure near the border with Finland. Such actions may indicate preparations for a potential conflict with NATO, according to a new report by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to ISW, Finland's national broadcaster Yle published satellite images taken between June 2024 and October 2025.
The images show active construction at the Russian military base Rybka in Petrozavodsk in Karelia, located about 175 km from the Finnish border.
As Yle notes, the Soviet-era garrison area had been largely abandoned since the early 2000s. However, it is now planned for use by the 44th Army Corps of the Leningrad Military District. A large airbase and a military equipment depot are already operating at the site.
In addition, satellite images from May and August 2025 indicate the construction of a new military town in Kandalaksha, Murmansk region, about 115 km from the border with Finland.
This concerns the Lupche-Savino garrison, the construction of which Russia began in the winter of 2024–2025 for new artillery and engineering brigades.
ISW recalls that it has previously recorded the expansion of Russian military infrastructure along the Finnish border.
In 2024, Russia also restructured the Western Military District, creating the Leningrad and Moscow military districts, likely to strengthen strategic command in the northern direction and counter NATO.
As part of these changes, the Russian military command formed the 44th Army Corps.
"Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, have previously directly threatened Finland, including by applying language that Russia has used falsely justify its invasions of Ukraine to Finland," the report says.
Russia prepares for war with NATO
Back in September 2025, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that the threats coming from Russia concern the entire Western world. Russia is shifting its economy onto a war footing, expanding weapons production and increasingly mobilizing people to be ready for a war with NATO by 2030.
ISW analysts believe that Moscow is intensifying its covert attacks against Europe and has already entered the zero phase of preparation for a possible war with NATO.
Russia is actively strengthening its military presence near the Finnish border. Satellite images show large-scale construction of new infrastructure, including shelters for fighter jets, warehouses, and field camps.
In addition, in September, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened Finland, using rhetoric that the Kremlin had previously employed to justify the invasion of Ukraine.
