Russia is restoring an abandoned military garrison near the Finnish border - Yle

Russia is rebuilding its military infrastructure near the border with Finland. In Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Republic of Karelia, the restoration of an old Soviet garrison has begun. At the site they record large-scale deforestation and the appearance of military equipment. This is reported by the Finnish edition Yle, referring to satellite images.

According to journalists, the object for many years was not used, but in 2024 Russia began its active restoration.

As recently as last summer, the area was overgrown with shrubbery and used mainly as a training area. Trenches had existed there before, but it is in recent months that the changes have become particularly noticeable. Spring satellite images show that significant areas of the forest have been cleared and military equipment has been deployed in the area.

Petrozavodsk is already home to important Russian military facilities - a large airbase and a weapons depot. Up to 3,000 Russian servicemen are now reportedly in the region. The Besovets airbase is used as a base for about 80 fighter jets," the journalists point out.

Military expert Marco Eklund believes that the renewed garrison may be transferred to the 44th Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces, created in 2024. In this case, the number of military personnel at the site could grow to 15,000.

Lorries and other equipment are also visible on the images. According to the expert, some of the vehicles may belong to the motor company responsible for the logistics of the army corps. At the same time, Eklund emphasises that one garrison in the Rybka district is not enough to fully accommodate the corps, and larger construction projects are probably being prepared in Karelia.