Putin is massing troops on the border with Finland, the military reinforcement alarms NATO

Satellite images have revealed how Moscow is increasing its military presence on the Finnish border - at a time of frightening photos taken from Russian bases.

Moscow is building accommodation for troops, infrastructure for deploying aircraft and renovating old facilities at key military bases, analysts have said, in a sign it is seeking to bolster its capabilities in the border region.

The photos, which were taken by Swedish broadcaster SVT from Planet Labs, suggest there has been activity at four locations within Russia – Kamenka, Petrozavodsk, Severomorsk-2 and Olenya, the Telegraph reports.

In Kamenka, which is about 35 miles from the Finnish border and was previously undeveloped, more than 130 military tents capable of housing about 2,000 troops have reportedly been erected since February.

Kremlin officials responded to Finland and Sweden's recent accession to NATO at the time with a vague threat of 'military-technical countermeasures'.

"When we applied for NATO membership, Russia said it would take such steps. Now we are seeing this happen," said Sweden's Defense Chief, Michael Claesson.

In November 2021, US officials expressed concern about satellite images showing Russian troops massing on the border with Ukraine – a claim the Kremlin dismissed as unfounded.

Less than four months later, Putin launched his full-scale war against Ukraine.

Moscow has accused NATO of acting as an aggressor rather than a defensive alliance, and has repeatedly vowed to defend itself by any means necessary, using GPS jamming and other methods.

Finland's accession to NATO on April 4, 2023, which extended the alliance's border with Russia by over 800 miles, provoked anger in Moscow, with Putin's friends warning that the use of nuclear weapons would not be off the table if conflict arose.

Seemingly in response to NATO expansion, Moscow now appears to have prepared for war by ordering the rapid development of facilities on its northwestern border.

"This is a sign of increased activity," Finnish military analyst Emil Kastehelmi, who is following developments, told SVT.

In Petrozavodsk, about 100 miles from the Finnish border, three large warehouses have been built, which experts suggest are storage halls for armored vehicles.

The existing halls will be able to hold around 50, with another under construction, according to the latest images from late April.

Photos from the far north appear to show that the previously closed Severomorsk-2 air base is now operational, with renovation work appearing to have been completed in recent years.

Several helicopters are seen parked in spots near the runway, which is located 110 miles from the Finnish border and less than 70 miles from Norway.

Meanwhile, in Olenya, about 90 miles from Finland, the air base is said to be fully active, with Russian bombers stationed there carrying out strikes on targets in Ukraine, according to Kiev.

Last month, Finland's deputy chief of defense, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen, expressed concerns about Russia's actions on the border, stating that the Kremlin is "deliberately testing NATO's unity" to see whether to activate Article 5 - the alliance's collective defense clause.

Speaking to the German newspaper Welt, Virtanen said Russia has tested Article 5 with hybrid warfare tactics, including cyberattacks and mass cross-border migration, and is now building new facilities to station Russian troops along its border.

"During the war there were about 20,000 soldiers stationed and about four reserve brigades, now we see that Russia is building new infrastructure and as quickly as possible, more troops in this region," Virtanen warned.

The army chief explained that they are reorganizing from brigades and will likely have about four to five divisions, an army corps and a support unit.

"So there will be more troops there in the future than before the Ukraine war," he added, while assuring that Finland has been ready to defend its allies for decades.

In response to Finland's membership in NATO, Putin announced the creation of the "Leningrad Military District" near the Finnish border and the deployment of additional military units in the area.

But Putin has repeatedly dismissed concerns about a possible attack on NATO members as "complete nonsense," claiming that Russia has no interest in getting involved in conflict with the alliance.

When Washington highlighted a military buildup across Ukraine's border in 2021, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov strongly dismissed the reports, saying there was no need to "waste time" with "low-quality" claims.

"The movement of our military equipment and army units is exclusively our business. Russia has never threatened anyone," he told reporters at the time. /Telegraph/