Finland 'preparing for the worst' as Russia expands military presence near border

[h2ebits]

Head of strategy of Finnish defence forces says they are monitoring Moscow’s manoeuvring ‘very closely’
Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent
Wed 21 May 2025 14.00 EDT

Finland has said it expects Russia to further build up troops along their shared border when the war in Ukraine ends, after reports that Moscow had strengthened its military bases near the Nato frontier.

Maj Gen Sami Nurmi, the head of strategy of the Finnish defence forces, said the military is following Moscow’s manoeuvring “very closely” and that it was their job, as part of the Nato alliance, to “prepare for the worst”.

The Finnish border guard announced on Wednesday it had completed the first 35km (22 miles) of a planned 200km fence on its eastern border with Russia, which has been closed for more than a year after Helsinki accused Moscow of directing asylum seekers to Finland in a “hybrid operation”. The fence also uses cameras and sensors to distinguish between people and animals crossing.

Satellite images, published in the New York Times, appear to show an expansion of military infrastructure near the Finnish border, including rows of tents, military vehicles, renovations to fighter jet shelters and construction on a previously unused helicopter base.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/21/finland-expects-russia-to-build-up-troops-at-border-after-ukraine-war-ends