>>63818628>>63818637>new troops concentration at the borders with natoAt least near the border with Finland, they emptied most of their bases in 2022-2023. Probably needed the men and armor elsewhere. There were some reports that even training personnel were sent to Ukraine. They may have had contracts that allowed them to be quickly deployed like that.
So if anything, they're just re-occupying the nearly deserted sites. I wouldn't call a few thousand troops at a training camp a "concentration", though the camp conditions may indeed resemble a concentration camp.
Some of the movements may also be related to last year's re-organization of Russia's military districts. They re-established the Cold War era Leningrad Military District in 2024, and transferred most of the Northern Fleet's administration there under the command of colonel-general Alexandr Lapin.
Lapin was previously known for commanding the army group "Center" when it caved in during the 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive. Kadyrov threatened to send him to the trenches for that.
Maybe they just kicked Lapin upstairs and he's trying to look busy?