Press
Apparently, around 80 percent of Russian troops on the Finnish border have been relocated to Ukraine. The losses in the war would pose problems for Russia.
Moscow – The Russian President Wladimir Putin has apparently withdrawn Russian troops from NATO’s northern flank to Finland and moved them to Ukraine. This is reported by the Finnish public broadcaster Yle Radio (Yle) and refers to intelligence information from the Finnish military. “Russia is scaring the NATOstates are prepared for World War III, but at least near Finland it does not seem to be preparing for war,” the broadcaster writes.
Despite Russia’s announcement of plans to increase its forces, the garrisons and military bases of the Russian ground forces near the Finnish border are still almost empty. A senior Finnish source from military intelligence told Yle that 80 percent of the equipment and soldiers of the troops assigned to the Finnish border are being used for the war in Ukraine. Due to the official position in the Finnish military, Yle does not disclose the identity of the source.
Compensation for losses: Russia’s troop strength at the bases fluctuates
According to the informant, there are also transfers to bases in other parts of the Russian Federation. Only in the Moscow region has the war of aggression against Ukraine not placed such a heavy burden on the crews of the facilities and the weapons. Satellite images show that Russia has sent a large part of its usable weapons to land forces in its war of aggression. Russia’s ground troops have also been strengthened by the Ukraine War suffered the most damage. The Air Force, the Air Defense Force and the Navy are currently better staffed with soldiers.
According to the Yle source, there are some differences in the troop strength at the bases. In some garrisons, more than a fifth of the soldiers are left, in others less. In addition, the numbers fluctuate due to various factors. In some cases, there are new training rounds, which means that the number of personnel varies depending on the training situation. Equipment also comes and goes. There are only instructors for conscripts, while all contract soldiers have to do “real work,” the source says. According to Yle, the Norwegian military intelligence service has the same data.
It is unclear how quickly Russia can make up for its losses
The Norwegian intelligence service estimates that the number of ground troops has been reduced by 80 percent. However, the figure given in the annual report only applies to the ground troops in the northern region of Russia on the Kola Peninsula. This is according to their current annual reportOverall, however, Russia will probably need three to five years to restore the combat capability of its armed forces.
The news portal specializing in foreign policy Foreign Policy was already assuming in 2022 that a Russian troop reduction on NATO’s borders was to be expected. “The troop withdrawal from this region in the last seven months is very significant,” said a senior Nordic defense official who spoke to the portal on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters. “Russia had kept these ground troops from us for decades, which have now practically disappeared.” The official stressed to Foreign PolicyRussia’s air force in the region has not changed, and the Northern Fleet – the “crown jewel of Russian naval power based on the Kola Peninsula” – has also remained relatively untouched. But along with its troops, Russia has also moved other high-quality military equipment from the region to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft systems and missiles.
According to Finnish military observer Marko Eklund, it is difficult to estimate how quickly Russia will be able to re-equip exhausted ground force bases near Finland. According to Eklund, it is important how the Western sanctions affect the Russian arms industry: whether it will eventually be able to produce new combat equipment or whether it will focus on refurbishing old ones, as is happening now. But it will certainly take years to build a modern army, Eklund told Yle. On the other hand, Russia can get troops ready for action more quickly with stocks of old military equipment. (ske)
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