In the Murmansk region, it was proposed to use militants to protect the border

Citizens can become combatants on a voluntary basis. They are entitled to social guarantees, benefits and compensation. The amendments also proposed granting local governments the right to additionally stimulate veterans at the expense of the budget.

The Murmansk region borders Norway and Finland. Both countries are NATO members: Norway since 1949, Finland joined the alliance in April 2023.

In February, Norwegian intelligence reported that Russian military bases on the border with the kingdom were 80% empty. “The ground forces on the Kola Peninsula have been reduced to one-fifth of what they were before the invasion of Ukraine,” said intelligence chief Vice Admiral Niels Andreas Stensenes.

In particular, three battalion-tactical groups of about 3,000 people were sent to Ukraine. The agency estimates that at least 1,500 of them died. About 100 tanks and armored vehicles were also destroyed or lost.

Near the border with Norway, in the village of Pechenga, Murmansk region, there is the 200th separate motorized rifle brigade of the Coastal Forces of the Russian Navy.

Earlier, Finnish intelligence announced the reduction of the Russian army on the border. They determined that less than 25% of the former number of troops remained; in addition, a large amount of weapons and special equipment was transported to Ukraine from various warehouses. Before the war, it was a group of 30,000. people.