Russia accuses Finland of preparing for War

Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former president Dmitry Medvedev accused Finland of preparing a forward staging area for an attack on Russia, citing Helsinki’s NATO membership and growing defense cooperation with the alliance.

Medvedev claimed that Finland had “taken a course toward preparing for war” under the guise of defensive measures. “It is likely preparing a springboard for an assault on our country,” he said.

Medvedev stated that NATO is now “fully engaged in these efforts and is actively operating across all five operational domains in Finland: land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.” He pointed to the growing presence of NATO infrastructure and command elements in Finland’s north as evidence of long-term military planning directed at Russia.

He specifically cited the establishment of a NATO corps-level land command headquarters in the Finnish city of Mikkeli and the creation of a forward base in Ivalo, located roughly 40 kilometers from the Russian border.

“New garrisons are appearing,” Medvedev said, adding that any clarification about the intended target of these forces “would be unnecessary.”

While Medvedev’s comments suggest concern about NATO’s posture in the Nordic region, recent developments on Russia’s side of the border tell a different story. According to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, satellite imagery shows extensive construction at the Lupche-Savino garrison in Kandalaksha, located in Russia’s Murmansk region near the Finnish border. The base, previously used as a warehouse site, is now being expanded into a full military installation.

Yle reports that Russian authorities are building housing and facilities for a new artillery brigade and elements of an engineering unit. The Murmansk regional administration has confirmed the construction of a new military township to support the deployment.

This represents the first visible expansion of Russian military infrastructure directly adjacent to Finland since the country joined NATO. Analysts say it is a clear indication that Russia is responding to shifting defense dynamics in the region by solidifying its own posture.

Further satellite evidence obtained by Yle shows expanded activity at Russian military sites on the Karelian Isthmus and in Petrozavodsk, the largest city in the Republic of Karelia. New equipment has appeared in the Sapyornoye garrison, and defensive positions around Petrozavodsk are reportedly being reinforced.

According to military imagery analyst Marko Eklund, the Lupche-Savino base will host roughly 2,000 personnel. He estimates that Russia is in the process of creating a new 44th Army Corps in the Republic of Karelia as part of a long-term plan to expand troop numbers near Finland. Eklund projects that the total Russian force concentration in the Leningrad Military District will rise to nearly 100,000 troops, up from an estimated 30,000 before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

While Medvedev has framed Finland’s NATO accession as a trigger for escalation, the evidence indicates that Russia began preparing new border infrastructure in winter 2024, months before Helsinki’s defense alignment reached its current stage.

Yle notes that Russian soldiers are also being trained near the Finnish border using outdated equipment, with facilities now undergoing permanent upgrades—suggesting that the Kremlin views the region as a long-term operational theater.