While many countries are focused on the events surrounding Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is quietly preparing for a conflict with NATO by building up a military presence near the borders of Finland and the Baltic states. According to Western intelligence and military officials, the Leningrad Military District, which will be reconstituted in early 2024, is to become a base for confrontation with the North Atlantic alliance. The Kremlin is building military installations there, modernizing railway lines in border areas, as well as expanding military recruitment and ramping up weapons production.
Authorities plan to establish a new army headquarters in Petrozavodsk within a few years to manage the tens of thousands of troops that will be stationed at the now-expanding military bases, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to Western military and intelligence officials, many of whom are scheduled to be moved there after the full-scale war in Ukraine ends, the small brigades will nearly triple in size and become divisions of 10,000 men each. “No matter how much they try to innovate at the tactical or operational level, for the Russians, size is paramount,” said Maj. Gen. Sami Nurmi, the Finnish deputy chief of staff in charge of strategy. – Everything always comes down to quantity.
