Troops "virtually gone"?
Russia is apparently withdrawing thousands of soldiers from the EU border
Created: 10/06/2022 10:12 am
By: Andreas Schmid
Russian soldiers on their way to the Ukraine war.
© IMAGO/Donat Sorokin
Is Putin running out of soldiers?
Due to the losses in the Ukraine war, troops are to be withdrawn near Finland and the Baltic States.
"But that doesn't mean they're not dangerous."
Helsinki - Finland and Russia share a nearly 1400-kilometer border.
In addition, the largest country on earth borders on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The Kremlin is actually stationing several thousand soldiers in the vicinity of the EU neighbors and in the NATO states of the Baltic States.
Due to the current developments in the Ukraine war, Russia is now apparently withdrawing a large part of the soldiers.
Soldiers "virtually gone": 6,000 instead of 30,000 Russian soldiers near the EU border?
Recently, more and more Russian armed forces have probably left the bases on the border with the EU and NATO areas.
According to the
Foreign Policy
portal , the Kremlin wants to compensate for its losses in Ukraine.
Of the estimated 30,000 Russian troops once stationed in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and southern Finland, 75 to 80 percent have been withdrawn to Ukraine, according to senior European defense officials.
Around 6,000 soldiers are still on site.
An “emergency crew” is currently operating.
"The withdrawal we have witnessed in this region over the past seven months is very significant,"
Foreign Policy
quoted a Northern European defense official as saying, who asked to remain anonymous.
“For decades, Russia faced us with ground forces.
They are practically gone now.”
Russia is apparently withdrawing troops from near the EU: "Heavy casualties" in the Ukraine war
Furthermore, Russia would also move military equipment.
According to satellite images from the Finnish media company Yle, Russia has relocated anti-aircraft systems from St. Petersburg.
A missile base in the region occupied by Russia's 500th anti-aircraft missile regiment has apparently been completely abandoned, according to satellite images.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told
Foreign Policy
that the withdrawal was due to "heavy Russian losses in the theater of operations".
In addition, troops from Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland, have been transferred to Ukraine.
Russian withdrawal near the Baltic?
"That doesn't mean they aren't dangerous"
The Balkan neighbors feel threatened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the Latvian elections on October 1, the Ukraine war is the defining campaign issue.
Finland, which has been neutral for decades, is also concerned.
Like Sweden, the northern European country is striving to join NATO.
Only Turkey and Hungary still have to ratify the application for membership.
The alleged troop withdrawal now ensures a brief relaxation.
Jonatan Vseviov, Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told
Foreign Policy
: "The immediate military threat to the Baltic region is of course low at the moment because there are no professional troops on our borders." But that could change again.
"That doesn't mean that Russia isn't dangerous." On the contrary: "Russia is extremely dangerous, and the long-term danger that Russia poses will depend on the outcome of this war."
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Russia threat to the Baltics?
"As a small country, you should never be careless"
The Kremlin did not comment on the possible troop withdrawal.
However, comparatively cautious statements by ex-President Medvedev on NATO's northern expansion would fit in with this.
For Estonian politician Vseviov, however, Russia remains a threat to the Baltic States anyway: "If it comes to the point that they get at least part of what they were looking for in Ukraine, then we predict extremely difficult times for all of us in Europe. "
According to Jim Townsend, an expert at the Center for a New American Security and a former US Department of Defense official, "The Russian threat in the Baltics is not as great today as it was a year ago because Russian forces are severely weakened." however, you shouldn't.
"If you are a small Baltic country, you should never be careless just because Russia is not doing well today."
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