Russian military reforms, which involve increasing the size of the armed forces by 30%, pose a significant threat to NATO.
Russia plans to increase the size of the army to 1.5 million soldiers. Russia's military reforms, which involve increasing the size of the armed forces by 30%, pose a significant threat to NATO.
This was stated by the head of Finnish military intelligence Pekka Turunen in an interview with Reuters.
According to Turunen, Finland, which joined NATO in 2023, is closely monitoring Moscow's plans. Sweden also joined the Alliance in March 2024. In its annual review published on Thursday, Finnish intelligence stressed that Russia intends to reform its armed forces by 2026.
“Yes, it is a threat to NATO, especially if the plan is carried out. We must react in the sense that we must be attentive,” Turunen said, adding that the plans could be implemented by 2030.
The Russian defense minister said in December that Moscow must be ready to fight NATO in Europe in the next decade. President Putin, speaking at the same meeting, said Western leaders were “simply scaring their own populations by saying that we are going to attack someone under the pretext of a mythical Russian threat.”
Moscow plans to increase its military to 1.5 million, including a significant build-up of forces near the border with Finland. Russian Karelia, the Kola Peninsula, and the area around St. Petersburg will be key locations for the new forces.
Turunen stressed that the progress of the war in Ukraine will affect the implementation of these plans. He suggested that the conflict could remain in a state of frozen confrontation.
Recall that Finland found out how a Russian tanker could damage an underwater cable.
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