Finland's NATO Accession Sparks Russian Military Expansion in Petrozavodsk
Russian forces reactivating garrison in Petrozavodsk for 44th Army Corps. Finland's 2023 NATO accession led to 44th Army Corps formation in 2024 with 15k troops. Imagery shows 50 vehicles and infrastructure for barracks, artillery, engineering, and radio-technical units. Petrozavodsk as staging hub; Corps mostly in Ukraine, local construction may bring families. Analysts note coordinated upgrades in northwest frontier, Finnish intelligence warns of increased military potential near Finland