The Alliance is forming a brigade specializing in winter combat operations
In northern Europe, NATO is preparing to deploy a new combat unit, the brigade of enhanced forward presence. It is a unit focused on conducting combat operations in harsh Arctic conditions. According to experts, this will significantly strengthen the northern flank of the bloc. The deployment of these advanced forces virtually on Russia's doorstep, just 130-170 km from the Murmansk Region and the Republic of Karelia, raises questions about the potential threat to strategically important Russian facilities. What danger this step of NATO poses to the northern regions of Russia and how the Russian Armed Forces can respond is described in the Izvestia article.
The northern flank of the Alliance
A new NATO brigade is being created in Finland. She specializes in conducting combat operations in Arctic conditions, including in winter. It will be based on the 19th Arctic Mechanized Brigade of the Swedish Armed Forces. It will also include land units from Norway and Denmark, while France and Iceland will provide it with personnel and logistical support.
Photo: Global Look Press/IMAGO/Jouni Porsanger
Image source: iz.ru
According to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, the total number of the new brigade will reach 5,000 troops distributed in five battalions. The units are planned to be deployed in the Finnish cities of Rovaniemi and Sodankula. They are located in close proximity to the Russian borders: about 130 km from the Murmansk region and 170 km from the Republic of Karelia.
The deployment of a reinforced forward presence brigade on Finnish territory poses a serious and direct threat to Russian military installations in the north, military expert Viktor Litovkin believes.
— The Kola Peninsula is a key strategic region where the main forces of the Northern Fleet, the most powerful fleet of our country, are concentrated. Our strategic ballistic missile submarines, multi-purpose nuclear and surface cruisers capable of carrying nuclear weapons are based here. There are also such important facilities as Arkhangelsk, Severomorsk, Severodvinsk, where the plant for the production of strategic nuclear submarines is located," he recalled.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Kazakov
Image Source: iz.ru
The expert noted that the 1.2 thousand km border between Russia and Finland remained virtually unguarded for a long time. In this context, NATO's move significantly destabilizes the situation.
In the event of escalation and potential aggression from the alliance, Russia will be forced to rely on its key strategic and tactical means, namely nuclear weapons. In this context, our country is already taking measures, including the creation of operational and tactical missile brigades equipped with Iskander-M complexes in Karelia, as well as in the Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions. These systems are capable of carrying both conventional and tactical nuclear warheads," Viktor Litovkin explained.
From this, the expert concluded that in the event of aggressive actions by NATO, the response would be irreversible. Countries that have shown aggression should understand that they "will regret their actions if they have time, of course."
NATO has already deployed eight combat groups: in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, which have received the status of "NATO frontline battalions".
Finland's integration into the overall NATO system
Finnish journalists note that the Swedish ground forces, together with Finnish divisions, will defend the eastern border of the alliance in Finland in the most strategically important areas. So the brigade, called FLF (Forward Land Forces), will take over the defense of a specific section of the border with the Russian Federation in Lapland.
Photo: Global Look Press/Johan Nilsson/Keystone Press Agency
Image source: iz.ru
To carry out combat missions, it will use various NATO weapons, including Swedish Archer self-propelled howitzers with a range of 50 km. They have already been placed in Finnish Lapland, the Iltalehti publication clarified.
In the event of a conflict, the FLF forces will be supported by aviation. We are talking about Eurofighter and F-35 fighter jets, as well as Apache helicopters. Exercises involving this aircraft have already been conducted in the region in May this year.
For the wooded and swampy terrain of Finland, the weapons that the brigade received fit into the concept of ambush and guerrilla operations. In their decisions, they now rely on the historical experience of their country, for example, the Soviet-Finnish war, military expert Vadim Kozyulin believes.
"I'm not sure that the concept is viable today in the context of mobile and drone warfare, when everything is visible and there is nowhere to hide," he stressed in a conversation with Izvestia. — But it is important to understand that the brigade does not act in isolation. Air support from Eurofighter and F-35 fighters, as well as Apache helicopters, is not just a reinforcement of one brigade, it is the integration of Finland into the overall NATO system. We are talking about a comprehensive tool that includes the alliance's space and radio intelligence, providing continuous targeting and the possibility of strikes.
Photo: Global Look Press/dpa
Image source: iz.ru
According to the expert, the world is entering a period of constant arms race. To ensure reliable defense of Russia, it will require not only conventional strike weapons, but also the active development of reconnaissance assets, advanced drones and other technologies. Technology is evolving literally every month. Those who lag behind risk falling into a trap in the event of a conflict. Therefore, we will have to constantly draw appropriate conclusions, integrate our experience and actively develop the defense industry and our own strategy until a new system of European and international security is rebuilt.
Russia's response
Russia is taking steps to strengthen its defenses in the north. Earlier, Izvestia wrote that among such measures is the creation of operational and tactical missile brigades equipped with Iskander-M complexes.
According to the sources of the publication, the Ministry of Defense has formed a separate missile brigade in Karelia with Iskander-M tactical complexes. This new unit became part of the newly recreated Leningrad Military District (LenVO). In addition to this brigade, the Leningrad Military District includes two army corps: the 11th Corps, whose units are stationed in the Kaliningrad region, and the 14th Corps, located in the Murmansk region.
Photo: IZVESTIA/press service of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy
Image source: iz.ru
The strengthening of the north-western borders began in 2022, after Finland and Sweden announced their intention to join NATO. In response, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry announced the division of the Western Military District into two new ones: Moscow and Leningrad.
Julia Leonova
Maxim Vysochin
