Key Points and Summary – Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president, has accused new NATO member Finland of “preparing for war” and creating a “springboard for an assault” on Russia.
-His accusation centers on a new, small NATO command center in Mikkeli, a facility designed to coordinate defensive training exercises.
-Medvedev’s rhetoric, part of a pattern of aggressive statements, contrasts sharply with Russia’s own actions.
-New satellite imagery reveals Russia is simultaneously conducting a major military buildup near the Finnish border, expanding a garrison in its Murmansk region, raising questions about Moscow’s own intentions.
Medvedev Accuses NATO Member Finland of Wanting War with Russia
Finland officially joined NATO, as its 31st member, in April 2023. That spring, then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg invited Finnish President Sauli Niinistö to NATO Headquarters to raise Finland’s flag. The move came 14 months after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Finland shares a 1,340 km border with Russia, which now represents the Northern frontier of Russia’s borders with both NATO and the European Union.
“I am deeply proud to welcome Finland as a full-fledged member of our Alliance and I look forward to also welcoming Sweden as soon as possible,” Stoltenberg said at the time. “Joining NATO is good for Finland, it is good for Nordic security, and it is good for NATO as a whole.” Sweden indeed joined NATO a year later, in March 2024.
Stoltenberg also stated that Finland’s ascension indicated that Russia had failed to “slam NATO’s door shut.”
“Instead of less NATO, he has achieved the opposite; more NATO, and our door remains firmly open,” the then-secretary general said at the time.
But while Finland is now a proud member of NATO, there is no indication that the Finns desire war with Russia.
However, one prominent Russian government official is now claiming otherwise.
Medvedev vs. Helsinki
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and prime minister who now serves as Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, has of late been a fairly major attack dog against what he considers Russia’s enemies. Back in early August, his social media sparring with President Trump actually led the White House to mobilize a pair of nuclear submarines.
Now, the Russian official is claiming that Finland plans to invade Russia.
According to the Defence Blog, Medvedev is claiming that Finland has“taken a course toward preparing for war,” and that the nation “is likely preparing a springboard for an assault on our country.”
The comments came in an opinion piece, in the Russian language, in the Kremlin media outlet TASS. The piece cited Finland’s recent establishment of a regional land forces command center in Mikkeli.
NATO, the former Russian president argued, is now “fully engaged in these efforts and is actively operating across all five operational domains in Finland: land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.”
Trouble on the Russia Side?
Meanwhile, Defence Blog reported that Russia is performing some activity on its own side of the border with Finland.
“According to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, satellite imagery shows extensive construction at the Lupche-Savino garrison in Kandalaksha, located in Russia’s Murmansk region near the Finnish border,” Defence Blog said. “The base, previously used as a warehouse site, is now being expanded into a full military installation.” This marks Russia’s first major activity near the Finnish border since Finland joined NATO.
The Truth About the Command Center
The Kyiv Independent reported last week about the new command center in Mikkeli, which NATO calls a Multi-Corps Land Component Command (MCLCC). The facility, which came online on September 1, is about 250 kilometers away from St. Petersburg.
It is one of the closest NATO facilities to the Russian border, with others, per The Independent, including “Multinational Division North HQ in Adazi, Latvia, and the Poland-based Multinational Division North East HQ in Elbig and the Multinational Corps Northeast HQ in Szczecin.”
About 10 people will work there to start, although that number is expected to grow over time.
“The task of the MCLCC involves command and control of the Alliance’s land forces and synchronisation of national land forces’ operation in the Northern area,” the Finnish military announced on its English-language website. “This means, among other, planning, preparing and directing the Alliance’s combined training exercise activity. In carrying out their work, the personnel will participate in the meetings and work both of the Army Command’s divisions and of the Alliance.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
More Military
Seawolf-Class: The Best Submarine Ever?
The Royal Navy Has a Destroyer Stuck in Port for 3,000 Days
America Is the King of Stealth Fighters
China’s J-20 Mighty Dragon Stealth Fighter Has Just 1 Mission
