NATO to deploy armored brigade near Russia – media

NATO is planning to deploy an armored brigade in Finland to serve as a deterrent against Russia, newspaper Iltalehti reported on Thursday, citing sources within the US-led military bloc and the government in Helsinki.

The unit, which could range in size from 4,000 to 5,000 troops, will be stationed at Mikkeli in the south-eastern part of Finland, according to the daily. Mikkeli is a town with a population of 51,000 just 87 miles (140 kilometers) from the border with Russia.

According to the newspaper’s sources, the brigade will comprise NATO troops from neighboring Sweden and Norway.

The Finnish government has decided on the need to deploy NATO soldiers from other countries to “strengthen preventative deterrence” against Russia, according to the article.

The decision to set up a NATO military headquarters in Mikkeli has already been made and will officially be announced to the public in the coming weeks, Iltalehti reports.

Finland has given up on its longstanding policy of neutrality and became a NATO member in April 2023, citing concerns over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Moscow responded to the move by vowing to adjust its defense posture in the north-western part of Russia. However, officials there also pointed out that they did not view Helsinki’s participation in the bloc as an existential threat.

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen told state-owned broadcaster Yle on Wednesday that Helsinki was in talks with several NATO states about deploying their soldiers to Finland even if the country does not face an immediate military threat. The bloc’s contingent to be stationed there should be “comprehensive and large enough to form a sufficient presence in crisis situations,” he stressed. According to Hakkanen, soldiers from his own and from other NATO countries could, among other activities, stage large-scale military exercises if there is a “tense atmosphere at the border” with Russia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Moscow is “registering a noticeable increase in military activity in Finland after the country joined NATO.” Helsinki is now acting in line with the policies of the West, which is trying to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, she added.