Finland is "preparing for the worst" amid Russia's troop buildup on the border - Guardian
Kyiv • UNN
Finland is closely monitoring Russia's troop buildup on the border. The Finnish military is preparing for the worst-case scenario, fearing an expansion of the Kremlin's aggression.
Finland is closely monitoring Russia's troop buildup along the common border, fearing that after completing its expansion in Ukraine, the Kremlin will move to NATO countries. This may be evidenced by the fact that Moscow continues to strengthen its military bases near the western border. This is reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.
Details
The head of the strategic department of the Finnish Defense Forces, Major General Sami Nurmi, said that the Finnish military is "very closely" monitoring Moscow's maneuvers and has been ordered to "prepare for the worst."
The Finnish Border Guard announced on Wednesday the completion of the first 35 kilometers of the 200-kilometer fence on the eastern border with Russia. The country closed the border more than a year ago after Helsinki accused Moscow of redirecting asylum seekers to Finland as part of a "hybrid operation." The fence is equipped with cameras and sensors to distinguish between people and animals that appear near the border.
Satellite images published in the New York Times show the expansion of military infrastructure near the Finnish border, including rows of tents, military equipment, repairs to fighter shelters and construction at a previously unused helicopter base.
They are changing structures, and we are seeing moderate preparations for infrastructure development near our borders, which means that once the war in Ukraine, hopefully, ends, they will begin to return troops who fought in Ukraine, especially ground troops.
He also noted that the movement to strengthen the military presence on the border is not large-scale, but almost continuous.
They do it in stages. It's not a big construction, but in certain places they are building new infrastructure and preparing, bringing in new equipment.
A representative of the Finnish Armed Forces noted that it is difficult to assess whether Russia is preparing to send more troops to Ukraine or is preparing to build up its forces near the border with Finland. But, in his opinion, she is doing both at the same time.
Immediately after the attack on Ukraine, we applied for NATO membership, and when we were accepted, Russia announced that it would begin to change its military policy on the other side of the border.
Finnish citizens have already become accustomed to the threat looming from the eastern neighbor, and hundreds of people are already signing up for training courses in preparation for emergencies.
Let us remind you
Britain has accused Russia of trying to hack cameras on EU borders to disrupt aid to Ukraine. British intelligence agencies have stated that Russia has attempted to gain access to surveillance on EU borders, steal passwords and conduct cyberattacks to disrupt the flow of Western aid to Ukraine.