Expert Khodarenok told how the Russian Federation will strengthen troops on the border due to Finland's accession to NATO Finland can become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance as early as today, April 4.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called this a historic week: according to him, today the flag of Finland will be raised at the headquarters in Brussels, and this country will become a member of the alliance. About what steps Russia will take to protect its territories bordering the new NATO member - in the material of "Gazeta.Ru".
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Moscow would respond to Finland's accession to NATO by strengthening military capabilities in the western and north-western directions.
In this case, the question arises of how the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will repel a hypothetical invasion of NATO troops on the territory of Russia, how they will defeat the advancing enemy units and formations, how they will be able to hold the most important border areas of their territory, as well as how to create conditions for seizing the initiative and launching a subsequent counteroffensive. Of course, so far such questions are exclusively in the sphere of estimates and assumptions.
In the event of a hypothetical outbreak of hostilities, the Russian army will face the tasks of repelling missile and air strikes by NATO forces, disorganizing the enemy's control, intelligence and electronic warfare systems, defeating the enemy's aviation and nuclear missile groups, repelling enemy strikes from the sea and defeating its Navy groups.
Therefore, it is necessary to imagine today what the future groupings of the Russian Armed Forces in the north-western and western directions will look like, their operational and strategic construction, what will be the system of defensive lines, the air defense and missile defense system in this theater of operations, the system of operational engineering barriers, the control and communication system. Among other things, a coastal defense system should be provided for in the coastal areas.
And a lot is already being done in this regard. For example, earlier this year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that an army corps would be formed in terms of strengthening the grouping of troops on the border with Finland (in Karelia and the Leningrad Region). This AK will include, as previously reported, three motorized rifle divisions and two airborne assault divisions.
It is necessary to seriously consider the issues of improving the radar reconnaissance system, anti-aircraft missile and fighter aviation cover. It is quite possible that in this regard it is necessary to analyze the feasibility of forming new anti-aircraft missile units and formations, radio engineering regiments and brigades, to restore all aviation regiments stationed in this region in Soviet times.
First of all, most likely, the land and coastal troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be increased. The grouping of missile troops and artillery will also increase significantly (it is quite possible that this grouping will include Iskander-M missile brigades and high-power artillery brigades equipped with nuclear ammunition). When planning the combat use of troops, the possibility of striking with high-precision long-range weapons at objects on the territories of Finland and Sweden will probably be taken into account. First of all, this applies to long-range aviation units and formations equipped with air-launched cruise missiles, as well as to Navy formations with Kalibr missiles.
Given the significant superiority of the North Atlantic Alliance in conventional weapons, it is probably not necessary to abandon nuclear mine barriers along the border of Russia with new NATO members.
In any case, a decision on a defensive operation must be made in advance, the necessary groupings of the Armed Forces have been created, their deployment planning has been carried out, issues of interaction, management and all types of support have been worked out. Of course, this will require certain budget expenditures. But the interests of national defense and security are certainly higher in this case.
Mikhail Khodarenok
