Yle: Russia is building a new military base near the border with Finland. It could house up to 6 000 soldiers

Russia has begun construction of the first completely new military base since Soviet times near the capital of the Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk, near the eastern border of Finland.

Satellite images that capture the scale of the construction are published by the Finnish publication Yle. The location of the garrison was determined by military expert and former Finnish intelligence officer Marco Eklund.

According to him, the military base is being built in the middle of the forest in the village of Nova Vilga, 175 km from the Finnish border. The first fellings were noticed on satellite images back in November 2025. And active construction work started in the spring of 2026.

Currently, about ten large barracks are being built on the territory. They are typical of Russian military buildings — three to four floors, 1 500 m² per floor.

They plan to station between four and six thousand soldiers there. They will be part of the 44th Army Corps, which Russia formed in Karelia in 2024.

“Since auxiliary units will also be added, it can be assumed that a total of up to 15 000 military personnel will appear in the settlements and forests of Karelia,” Eklund claims.

In Russia, these construction works became publicly known at the end of May 2026, when the site was visited by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Fradkov.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, more than 50 facilities are planned to be built on the territory, including barracks, apartment buildings for military families, and sports infrastructure.

According to a Finnish expert, the construction of military facilities in Karelia is just one episode in a large-scale buildup of Russian troops along the entire border with NATO.

However, Eklund noted that the construction of the new military base is still in its initial stages, and the war in Ukraine does not allow Russia to quickly build up forces near the Finnish border.

First, the Russians need to build the infrastructure, purchase equipment, recruit personnel, and train them. Only then will such troops begin to actually function.

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