Russian President Vladimir Putin is expanding military bases along NATO borders, satellite images reveal. Denmark's national broadcaster, in cooperation with intelligence services, released images showing construction over the past two years, including new barracks, warehouses, and army vehicles.
Key Locations and Capabilities
The Pechenga compound, just five miles from the Norwegian border, and the Murmansk area near Finland and Norway can now house 17,000 additional soldiers within striking range of neighbors. A site near the Estonian border has also amassed large numbers of military vehicles.
Expert Warnings
Former Army officer Col Richard Kemp told The Sun: "Putin is a master of the unexpected. What is most concerning is that neither the UK nor our European NATO allies are ready." He noted that former Defence Secretary John Healey's resignation statement said intelligence assessed Russia might attack as soon as 2030, and that the Labour government will not put sufficient funds into defence.
Former intelligence officer Philip Ingram said the build-up is part of a long game by the Kremlin, preparing bases to respond to NATO expansion and to rapidly rearm and deploy if the Ukraine war ends. "This is preparation for a second Cold War," he said.
Danish Defence Academy analyst Anders Puck Nielsen warned the Baltic region could not face tens of thousands of Russian troops. "If Russia just took some of its troops in Ukraine and transferred them to a direct confrontation with NATO in the Baltic countries, we would come under tremendous pressure," he said.
