Russia trains for attack on Finland and Baltic states, detailed plan for invasion has been revealed

NATO believes that Russia has rehearsed an attack on Finland and the Baltics. In their opinion, the war in Ukraine has shown that Russia is ready to take significant risks. Iltalehti media outlet reports.

NATO sources reported that Russia has rehearsed an attack on Finland and other countries on the eastern side of NATO. According to the sources, the defence report generally considers an attack by Russian troops on Finland, Northern Norway or the Baltics possible.

The publication writes that the Russian attack was supposed to be the simultaneous work of several different units of the Russian army. And tens of thousands of Russian soldiers could be involved in the attack.

“In the north, the 14th Army Corps will attack the Norwegian coast from the direction of Murmansk from the sea, land and air. The Russians will land troops in Finnish Lapland. “Russian missile forces deployed on the Kola Peninsula will also invade Finland,” the publication’s sources said.

NATO believes that in the event of an attack, Russia will try to create a buffer zone in Northern Lapland and Finnmark in Norway, which will transfer the fighting to NATO territory.

In March last year, the NATO defence alliance practised deploying 20,000 troops in northern Norway and Finnish Lapland.

And earlier this year, NATO conducted large-scale exercises near the Russian border.

Last month, NATO's largest artillery military exercise, Lightning Strike 24, began in Finland. It is part of a series of exercises by NATO member states in Europe.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has previously emphasized his vision of reclaiming historical territories, citing the Russian Empire of the 17th century as an aspirational model. On December 19, Putin declared that Russia possesses the resources necessary to achieve this objective. Western experts advise taking these statements seriously, given their alignment with Russia’s recent military activities and geopolitical actions.

The Baltic states and Finland, NATO members with direct borders with Russia, remain particularly vulnerable to Moscow’s ambitions. These nations are among NATO's top contributors to defense spending relative to GDP, reflecting their heightened security concerns.

NATO will increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea after the damage to undersea cables, Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte said on social network X after speaking with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.