Russia ramps up military presence near NATO borders

    
• Russia is expanding military bases in Petrozavodsk, about 100 miles from the border with Finland, as part of preparations for a potential conflict with NATO.
• The Kremlin is increasing the size of its army to 1.5 million soldiers and raising military spending to 6 percent of GDP.
• The new military infrastructure includes storage facilities and quarters for soldiers, as well as the modernization of rail lines along the borders with Finland and Norway.

Russia is intensifying its military activities near NATO borders, causing concern among neighboring countries. The "Wall Street Journal" reports that the Kremlin is expanding military bases in Petrozavodsk, just about 100 miles from the border with Finland.

These actions, according to many observers, are part of a broader strategy of preparation for a potential conflict with NATO. "When the troops return (from Ukraine), they will look across the border at a country they consider an adversary," said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

Vladimir Putin has issued an order to increase the size of the army to 1.5 million soldiers, a significant rise compared to the situation before the invasion of Ukraine, when the army numbered around a million soldiers. The Kremlin is also raising military spending from 3.6 percent of GDP to 6 percent.

General Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. forces in Europe, noted that the Russian army is larger today than it was at the beginning of the war.

Russia is not only increasing the size of its forces but also modernizing military infrastructure in the region. New rail lines are being built along the borders with Finland and Norway, and existing routes are being expanded.

We see that the military is becoming a new kind of elite, assessed Daivis Petraitis from the Baltic Defense College. Officers on NATO's eastern flank expect that Russia will try to deter Europe from escalating tensions.