Sweden's military intelligence and security service (MUST) chief Thomas Nilsson says Russia is planning to expand its military presence on NATO's northeastern flank, extending "from Northern Finland all the way down." Nilsson's comments are reported by Kyiv Independent based on an interview with Bloomberg.
Russia is not yet implementing its plan in full because it prioritizes its war of aggression in Ukraine, but Sweden expects Russia to implement it once the country has sufficient resources and military capacity.
Swedish SVT reported in early June on satellite images showing that Russia has been building new military facilities in several locations on the other side of the Finnish border throughout the winter.
— We do not believe they exist just for show. It is about the ability to confront NATO in a broad conflict in the future, Nilsson told SVT at the time.
Russia has repeatedly criticized Finland and Sweden's decision to join the NATO military alliance.
Nilsson says to Bloomberg that Russia is likely to remain a security threat even after President Vladimir Putin steps down from power.
Nilsson described the confrontation between Moscow and the West as "deep, structural, and lasting."
— We do not consider this crisis temporary; Russia has chosen its own path, and there is no turning back, Nilsson said.
He also said that Sweden has seen no signs that Russia's political system or Putin's grip on power is under immediate threat.
— The political opposition has been virtually eliminated — they are in exile, imprisoned, or in the worst case assassinated.
