Russia expands military bases along Finland border

Russia has started expanding military bases along its border with Finland, according to new satellite imagery, as it seeks to reinforce supply lines of tanks and heavy artillery for its war in Ukraine.

Three large buildings have been constructed at the Alakurtti military base, around 31 miles from the frontier, in the first signs of development at the site for years.

Satellite images, published by Finland’s national broadcaster, appeared to show the construction of another military storage site at a tank and artillery depot in Petrozavodsk, some 108 miles from the border.

The developments come after Moscow earlier this year threatened “countermeasures” against Nato when Finland became the Western alliance’s 31st member country.

Finland’s membership nearly doubled Nato’s border with Russia, adding 833 miles of frontier, close to where Russian military bases house the largest concentration of nuclear weapons in the world.

The satellite images appear to show three new storage warehouses at the base in Alakurtti, which is normally home to Russia’s 80th Separate Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade.

Each of the buildings were erected from foundation to full height within a single day, according to a comparison of images taken late last year and just last month.

Major Marko Eklund, a retired Finnish military operative, said the halls, which are about 100 metres long and 25 metres wide, could be used to house up to 40 armoured vehicles to support a battalion.

Russia has stationed about 2,000 troops at the Alakurtti base, but the majority of its forces in the area have been deployed to fight in Ukraine.

Significant losses 

The forces, which are trained to fight in cold, dark Arctic conditions, are believed to have suffered heavy losses during the invasion.

In June, it was reported that Ukrainian troops struck a command post manned by the brigade near the front lines.

It’s not known whether Russia will increase the number of troops stationed in the region, but Nato officials believe it could take Moscow years to create a force capable of a cross-border offensive.

Separate images revealed the construction of a new large warehouse amid the artillery cannons and tanks stored at Petrozavodsk, the site of Russia’s largest concentration of military hardware near the Finnish border.

The kit stored at the site is enough to equip at least one motorised brigade of 4,000 Russian soldiers.

Maj Eklund told Yle, the Finnish broadcaster, that the new building could store 50 armoured vehicles, but was most likely going to be used to refurbish and deliver equipment to Moscow’s forces in Ukraine.

Most of the kit there has been gathering dust, having sat at the base since units were disbanded in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

However, Russian losses have been so significant in Ukraine that its military has been forced to turn to deep storage units, like Petrozavodsk, to re-equip its forces.

Satellite images taken in July showed 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers, which were first manufactured in 1967, being loaded onto trains.

Artillery units stationed at Petrozavodsk have steadily declined, according to Maj Eklund, who said more than 100 howitzers had been sent to the front lines in Ukraine since the beginning of the war.