Russia developing infrastructure at military bases near borders with Baltic states and Poland - investigation

TALLINN - Satellite images analyzed by the Estonian news outlet Eesti Ekspress show "rapid infrastructure development" at several Russian military bases close to its borders with the Baltic states and Poland.

After the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, troops and equipment were sent to the front or elsewhere in Russia leaving bases close to Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania "half empty," Eesti Ekspress says.

However, a recent joint investigation by Eesti Ekspress, Lithuanian National Broadcasting Company (LRT), Frontstory.pl and VSquare.org shows the situation on the ground is changing and new infrastructure is being built.

The study looked at 24 militarily significant locations in Russia and Belarus and compared images taken before the full-scale invasion and more recently.

"Ekspress has identified several military bases behind the Baltic borders where there are signs of active use. These are places where military units are trained and put on trains, which, along with new or restored equipment, travel to the front in Ukraine. Or they are air bases used to refuel and arm fighter jets before they fly to Ukraine. Satellite images show that some of the equipment is brand new. This calls into question the widespread belief that the Russian army has only Soviet-era stocks at its disposal," the outlet writes.