Pictures released by Denmark’s national broadcaster show the extent of Russia’s military construction near NATO borders, including new barracks, warehouses and army vehicles
Vladimir Putin is ramping up a chilling military build-up right on NATO’s doorstep, terrifying new satellite images reveal. The Russian tyrant has been caught red-handed expanding his frontline bases, sparking frantic warnings that the UK is “not ready” for what’s coming.
Pictures released by Denmark’s national broadcaster, working with intelligence agencies, expose massive construction over the last two years. The frantic expansion includes a wave of new barracks, high-security warehouses and a swarm of combat vehicles.
Most alarming for the West, the Pechenga compound sits a nerve-wracking five miles from the Norwegian border. Experts warn that Russia’s Murmansk region, shadowing both Finland and Norway, is being primed with 17,000 extra troops, putting them within clear striking distance.
Meanwhile, a large number of military vehicles have been spotted pooling near the Estonian border as tension reaches boiling point.
Former Army officer Col Richard Kemp told The Sun: “Putin is a master of the unexpected. What is most concerning is that neither the UK nor our European NATO allies are prepared.”
NATO is a 32-member alliance formed in 1949 to counteract the threat of Soviet aggression. It currently concentrates on protecting member states through a collective defence commitment, whereby an assault on one member is considered an attack on all.
The organisation has long been seen as the cornerstone of Western security, reports the Express.
Col Kemp said: “In his resignation statement John Healey (Secretary of State for Defence) said our intelligence assessed that Russia might attack as soon as 2030.
“And his resignation shows that the Labour government will not put sufficient funds into defence to make us ready for that.”
Col Kemp said the reality is that the UK should be prepared now and always to confront any threats that might arise.
He added: “It is shameful that neither this government nor its Conservative predecessors took defence seriously enough to protect our country. If our forces have to go into action without enough troops or equipment they will have blood on their hands.”
Russia has denied it has any plans to attack NATO. However, former intelligence officer Philip Ingram said the build-up is part of a long-term strategy by the Kremlin.
He said that the preparation of the bases serves two purposes, including responding to the expansion of NATO by suggesting a real capability to threaten its borders and showing that Putin can rapidly rearm and deploy quickly if the Ukraine war ends.
He said: “This is preparation for a second Cold War. He can’t man or equip these new bases at the moment with any credible capabilities.”
Meanwhile, Danish Defence Academy analyst Anders Puck Nielsen warned the Baltic region could not withstand tens of thousands of Russian troops.
He said: “If Russia just took some of [its troops in Ukraine] and transferred them to a direct confrontation with NATO in the Baltic countries, for example, then we would come under tremendous pressure.
“We are not ready to face 50,000 or 100,000 Russian soldiers in the Baltic countries. We’re not even close to being able to defend ourselves.”