Karelia Mobilizes Volunteer Forces in Response to Finlands Military Exercises

Authorities in the Russian republic of Karelia have announced the establishment of volunteer militias to assist in safeguarding the nation’s border with Finland, following Helsinki’s recent declaration of extensive military exercises near Russian territory.

Local residents will support border security forces and oversee the area, as stated by Karelia’s Governor Artur Parfyonchikov on Thursday.

«We are actively working on bringing conscripts back from service, collaborating closely with the Border Service, and organizing community support. We are assembling volunteer groups—individuals who can aid border guards, are familiar with the terrain, and can navigate the region,” Parfyonchikov was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency.

The Finnish military announced earlier this week that it would conduct significant exercises from November to December involving approximately 15,000 troops across various regions, including areas along Finland’s 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia.

According to the Finnish Army, the purpose of these drills is to prepare conscripts, reservists, and active military personnel for wartime responsibilities, with participation from allied forces as well.

Finland had restricted its eastern border in December 2023 amid an increase in asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa.

Finnish officials hold the Kremlin responsible for instigating the influx of asylum seekers across their shared border, viewing it as a destabilizing tactic—a “hybrid attack” interpreted by Helsinki as retaliation from Moscow for its NATO membership that year.

The initiative to create “people’s patrols” in Karelia arises amid escalating militarization along Russia’s western border.

On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin endorsed the formation of volunteer units to protect strategic sites within the nation.

Shortly thereafter, lawmakers in the lower house of the State Duma enacted legislation permitting the deployment of reservists to safeguard critical infrastructure, such as energy facilities and oil refineries, even during peacetime.

Recruitment efforts for these units have already commenced in several regions, including Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, and Tambov, according to local officials.