Putin sendet Kampftruppen und Spione an die Grenze Finnlands, während die NATO -Spannungen wachsen

Hundreds of Russian troops including battle-hardened units from Ukraine and suspected intelligence specialists have been deployed to the [Finnish border](https://inews.co.uk/topic/finland?ico=in-line_link) in recent days as Moscow beefs up its military presence on Nato’s crucial eastern flank. 

Satellite images last week revealed how the Kremlin has revamped its defence infrastructure along the 800-mile border, including airbases, army camps and storage facilities. 

The region is widely regarded by Western intelligence as a key potential flashpoint should Vladimir Putin seek a direct confrontation with the West.

But new evidence obtained by *The i Paper* suggests Moscow is also rapidly increasing the number of highly-trained personnel in the region. More than 300 Russian troops, some of them believed to be from experienced combat units fighting in Ukraine, have been redeployed to the Finnish border, according to a European intelligence official.

The [upscaling of Russian capabilities](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/russia-nuclear-iskander-missile-launchers-finland-border-3021442?ico=in-line_link) in the area is thought to include signals intelligence specialists or electronic warfare experts alongside operational military units which appear to have been specifically diverted to the Leningrad Military District (LMD) – as the Kremlin calls its border region with Finland – from the battlefields of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

It is understood forces have been sent to key sites and ports along the Finnish border, with most of the activity centred around the cities of Kamenka, north of St Petersburg and some 95 miles from Finland, and Kamenogorsk, which is situated just 20 miles from Finland.

The Finnish military is understood to be constantly monitoring the latest deployments. Defence experts said while the deployments were significant, alongside the bolstering of military infrastructure, they were not yet of a scale to signal an imminent Russian threat to [Nato’s eastern borders](https://inews.co.uk/topic/nato?ico=in-line_link).

They nonetheless fit a pattern of an incremental build-up in Russia’s Finnish border region intended to keep the West guessing about Moscow’s intentions and potentially providing a jumping off point for a future Russian offensive. In response, Nato has increased its presence in the Arctic north as well as the Baltic states, deploying multi-national battlegroups as part of a defensive “posture” designed to deter any Kremlin adventurism.

A leading think-tank this week warned that Russia could be ready to launch an offensive against the alliance as soon as 2027.

One Western diplomat said: “One way or another we are seeing the outlines of what Russia’s stance towards Nato will look like beyond Ukraine. If we have technically capable personnel moving in numbers to LMD then it fits a pattern of that area being a priority for the Kremlin and its future intentions, whatever they might be.”

I bet Fins already zeroed in their artillery just in case…