Flash News

Bota

Finnish intelligence chief calls for increased vigilance due to Russia

Finnish intelligence chief calls for increased vigilance due to Russia

The planned reforms in the Russian army, namely the increase in the number of soldiers by 30 percent, pose a threat to NATO and therefore require increased vigilance, the head of Finland's military intelligence service, Pekka Turunen, said on January 16.

Finland, which shares the European Union's longest border with Russia, joined the western military alliance NATO in 2023.

Following it, neighboring Sweden also joined the alliance in March 2024. Both Nordic countries took this step in response to the launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The military intelligence service, led by Turunen, said in its annual review published on Thursday that Moscow has announced plans to reform its military by the end of 2026.

"Yes, this is a threat to NATO, especially if this plan is implemented," Turunen told Reuters, adding that he thinks Russia has a realistic chance of achieving its goals by 2030.

"We need to react, in the sense that we need to be more vigilant."

Russia’s Defense Ministry said last December that Moscow must be ready to fight NATO in Europe in the next decade. Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the same meeting, said that Western leaders are “simply scaring their populations that we will attack someone, using the pretext of the mythical Russian threat.”

Turunen said Russia aims to increase its troop numbers by 30 percent, which would bring the total number of soldiers to 1.5 million.

The number of Russian soldiers stationed near Finland could double or triple compared to the period before the start of the war in Ukraine, Turunen said./ REL

Latest news