22.08.2024, Helsinki.
A NATO armored brigade of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers will be deployed in eastern Finland, the Iltalehti newspaper wrote on August 22, citing a source in the alliance.
According to the cited information, the brigade is being formed. It will be permanently stationed in Finland. One battalion (about 800 soldiers) will be permanently stationed there.
NATO officers, soldiers guarding and maintaining the weapons and equipment, and units responsible for logistics will also be permanently present there.
“The brigade is primarily being formed to strengthen the defense of Northern Finland. NATO soldiers are stationed, for example, in Ivalo, Sodankylä and Rovaniemi,” the report says.
It points to important links in the brigade’s logistics. These are the port of Kemi in the north of the Gulf of Bothnia, the railroad line from Norway and Sweden through the city of Tornio, as well as Rovaniemi airport.
It is assumed that the alliance will be able to quickly move the entire brigade to Finnish territory if necessary.
According to the source, this creates a powerful preventive deterrent factor.
In April, the newspaper Iltalehti reported that NATO will create a headquarters 140 kilometers from the border with Russia. In mid-June, all NATO members approved the deployment of NATO troops and command headquarters in Finland.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
