Russia has devised a plan to attack Norway and Finland, according to sources within NATO.

Russia is attempting to establish a buffer zone in Finnish Lapland and Norwegian Finnmark in the event of an attack on NATO from the east.

Source. This is reported by Iltalehti citing sources within the North Atlantic Alliance.

According to these sources, the Russian army has already practiced such a scenario during exercises. Under this plan, the 14th army corps will launch an attack on the Norwegian coast from Murmansk, simultaneously from the sea, land, and air, while a landing force will attempt to quickly seize the Ivalo airport in Lapland.

Furthermore, missile troops deployed on the Kola Peninsula are expected to enter Finland, claim the publication's sources.

According to their estimates, “tens of thousands of Russian soldiers” will participate in the attack.

Establishing a buffer zone would allow combat operations to be shifted onto NATO territory and draw the Alliance's forces away.

The sources also believe that Russia is mobilizing the 44th army corps for an attack on the southern coast and southeast of Finland to capture the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland. This would complicate the defense support for Estonia from the Finnish direction.

NATO believes that Russia aims to reach the borders of the Treaty of Turku from 1743. In this case, its army will seek to reach the Kymi River. The next target would be the Puumala Strait. Missiles could also be launched at Helsinki, but the main focus of the attacks will be on the Baltic States: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

The publication's sources noted that Putin is attempting to create a unified buffer zone in Europe along the entire border from the Arctic region through the Baltic and Black Seas to the Mediterranean.

Earlier, during a propaganda press conference on December 19, the Kremlin leader stated that Russia has “sufficient forces and means to reclaim all its historical territories.”

In March 2023, NATO practiced the deployment of 20,000 troops in northern Norway and Finnish Lapland. Additionally, at the beginning of this year, the Alliance conducted large-scale exercises near Russian borders.

Last month, the largest artillery military exercises of NATO, Lightning Strike, commenced in Finland.

In December, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkarainen announced plans to double military spending to 3.3% of GDP by 2032, significantly exceeding NATO's established benchmark of 2%. “The security situation in Finland and the region is difficult to predict. It can deteriorate rapidly,” Hakkarainen noted.

Background. Recall that Norway sent 100 soldiers and NASAMS to protect the Polish hub through which aid is sent to Ukraine. It is also noted that the airbase will be defended by F-35 fighters.