Moscow is planning to possibly double the number of troops along its western border with the Baltic states and Finland, as it anticipates a potential military conflict with NATO in the coming decade, Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warns.
At the moment, Russia has no plans to take any military action against NATO, assured Kaupo Rosin, the head of the service, who presented the annual threat report. However, Moscow believes that a conflict is possible within the next decade.
The intelligence report notes that “the objectives of Russia’s military reform reflect the leadership’s vision of the resources required for the conflict with Ukraine and prolonged confrontation with the West” as the Kremlin probably anticipates “a possible conflict with the alliance within the next decade”.
According to Rosin, Russia’s military reforms are expected to create a “marked” military buildup on NATO’s borders.
“Russians are planning to increase the military force along the Baltic states’ border but also the Finnish border. We will highly likely see an increase of manpower, about doubling perhaps. We will see an increase in armed personnel carriers, tanks, artillery systems over the coming years,” the official said.
The Estonian intelligence report indicates that the new army corps being built by Russia is likely to consist of two or three manoeuvre units and around a dozen fire support and combat support units.
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