Russia has begun a large-scale buildup of its military presence in Karelia, in close proximity to NATO borders, as reported by Yle.
According to satellite imagery, active restoration of the former Soviet Rybka garrison in Petrozavodsk began in 2025. The site had been largely abandoned since the early 2000s. Forested areas have already been cleared, and more than 50 units of equipment — including trucks and specialized vehicles — have been observed on the streets of the military compound. Experts believe the base is being developed into a repair unit or the nucleus of a railway brigade to support the newly formed 44th Army Corps.
The formation of the 44th Army Corps in Karelia предполагає an increase of approximately 15,000 troops in the region. To accommodate this number of servicemen and their families, large-scale construction of new barracks, residential buildings, and medical facilities is planned in Petrozavodsk and surrounding areas. In particular, the construction of a gas pipeline to the village of Chalna, where personnel from an airbase are expected to live, is under discussion. Local authorities emphasize that strengthening positions along the NATO border is a strategic task, and the region is intended to become a reliable outpost of the country.
At the same time, Russia is rapidly building a military town in Kandalaksha on the Kola Peninsula. Several large buildings for new artillery and engineering brigades have already been completed there. Experts estimate that the force grouping in this area could number around 2,000 personnel. Although a significant portion of the new corps’ personnel is currently engaged in combat operations in Ukraine, infrastructure preparation along the northern borders is continuing without delay.
Military strengthening is also underway near Luga, outside St. Petersburg, where a previously stationed motorized infantry brigade is being expanded into a division, increasing its strength to up to 10,000 troops. Finnish military intelligence notes that these developments indicate a shift from statements to concrete actions to reinforce Russia’s borders with the Alliance. While the pace of troop deployment is constrained by the ongoing war in Ukraine, in the long term Russia’s capacity to conduct operations in the northern direction is expected to increase significantly.
