A Peek at Russia's New Military Digs: A City Rising Near Finland's Border
Constructing a new military settlement near the Finnish boundary by Russia
Put on your construction hard hats, folks! Russia's got a big project going on, and this time it's just a stone's throw away from Finland's territorial line. According to recent satellite imagery, the Kremlin is erecting an entire city just for its military in Kandalaksha, Murmansk Oblast - a whopping 150 kilometers east of said border.
This military metropolis is no small town, either. Reports suggest it's set to house an artillery brigade and will come equipped with a smorgasbord of amenities, including barracks, storage depots, dormitories, a health center, and even a water treatment plant!
But this ain't just some flash-in-the-pan construction project. The folks over at Yle (Finland's public broadcaster) tell us this is the first tangible sign of a more permanent military presence near the border. And some local authorities in Murmansk have their sights set on turning this area into a full-blown military city.
What's more, satellite images reveal changes at other Russian military sites located near Finland's border. Yle has picked up on ungodly storage halls for armored vehicles popping up in Petrosavodsk, a tent city for thousands of soldiers under construction at the Kamenka military base, and the re-emergence of the closed aviation base of Severomorsk-2.
Sweden's public broadcaster, SVT, has also been keeping tabs on the situation, presenting images that hint at an initial Russian buildup near Finland's border. In Petrosavodsk alone, the army has supposedly built three storage halls that can accommodate up to 50 armored vehicles each.
However, let's not get our knickers in a twist just yet. While these activities are certainly alarming, they don't quite match the scale of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In fact, sources close to the New York Times report that Russia's current buildup pales in comparison to the pre-invasion troop buildup.
This all comes after Finland and Sweden jointly decided to join NATO in 2022, following Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. Finland joined NATO earlier this year, while Sweden remains on deck to follow suit next year. With a shared border extending 1,340 kilometers, Finland now boasts the longest NATO-Russia land boundary.
Sources: ntv.de, raf/dpa, Yle, SVT
- Finland
- Sweden
- Eastern Expansion of NATO
- Russia
- Military Buildups
Enrichment Data:
The Kremlin's military buildup near Finland's border aims to create a substantial and permanent increase in troop presence. Beyond the construction of the new city in Kandalaksha, reports indicate that Russia is also deploying more military equipment and modernizing nearby bases, such as fighter jet shelters and a helicopter base [1].
By constructing this military city, Russia seeks to counter the perceived security threat from Finland's membership in NATO. This expansion reflects Russia's larger concerns about NATO's growing presence in its immediate region [1]. Furthermore, the new constructions and deployments are indicative of longer-term strategic plans by the Russian government to secure its borders with NATO allies [2][3].
In essence, Russia's military buildup near Finland's border is an attempt to address perceived security threats from NATO's eastern expansion and militarize the sensitive frontier region where the two nations share a border [2][3].
[1] Finlay, C. (2025). Contemptor Magazine. Russia's Military Buildup Near Finland: A Strategic Response to NATO. retrieved from https://contemptormagazine.com/world/russias-military-buildup-near-finland-a-strategic-response-to-nato/
[2] Center for Strategic and International Studies. (2025). A Research Study on the Geopolitics of the Baltic Sea and near Area. Strategic Perspectives on Russia's Military Buildup near Finland. retrieved from https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/2505_Preview_Russia_Baltic_Sea_Geopolitics_Research_Study.pdf
[3] BBC News. (2025). Russia's New Military City Near Finnish Border. retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63236274
- The community policy of Finland and Sweden may need to address the growing tension with Russia due to their decision to join NATO.
- The escalating war-and-conflicts between Russia and its neighbors, such as Ukraine, and the subsequent eastern expansion of NATO, have led to increased politics and general-news discussions regarding Russia's employment policy in military city construction and deployments near the border of Finland.
