“Military Thought”: Russia will build up troops in the northern direction after NATO expansion

The planned accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO will require a build-up of troops in the northern direction, Russia may also plan to strike with long-range precision weapons against targets in the territories of these countries. About it informs magazine “Military Thought”, published by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

“Although the planned entry of Finland and Sweden into the NATO bloc is just a legal formalization of long-established relations, it must now be considered as the most urgent challenge for the Russian Federation, which requires the adoption of a set of adequate measures,” the article “Modern Challenges to the Military Security of the Russian Federation” says. Federations in the Arctic.

As the authors of the article explain, the measures will be necessary in connection with the increase in the border of the Russian Federation with NATO member states by more than 1000 km. On the territory of Finland and Sweden, “by analogy with Norway, the formation of the combined armed forces of NATO can be placed on a temporary or permanent basis and a system for the advance storage of weapons and military equipment and materiel can be deployed.”

“Military Thought” refers to the possible deployment of operational-tactical missile systems in Finland as a threat. We are talking about the risk of attacks on the objects of the military-industrial complex in the Arkhangelsk region and the transport infrastructure in the region, the magazine explains.

“On our part, this will require building up the composition of ground and coastal forces, missile forces and artillery, air defense and aviation forces, including unmanned ones, in the northern direction, as well as planning strikes with long-range precision weapons against targets in Finland and Sweden,” – writes the publication.

Finland and Sweden filed applications for NATO membership in mid-May against the backdrop of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. Then the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin considers Finland’s entry into NATO as a threat to Russia: “We have repeatedly said that the expansion of NATO and the approach of the alliance’s military infrastructure to our borders does not make peace, and most importantly, our European, Eurasian a more stable and secure continent.”

At the end of June, the NATO leadership decided to invite these two countries to the alliance. The only countries that have so far not approved Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO are Hungary and Turkey. Deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Grushko said that Russia will not respond to the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO “on emotions”, but this decision will not remain without political reaction.