In the Petshenga Valley, a few kilometers from Kirkenes, Russian reservists are training for war. Soldiers who are sent here should be worried, says a military researcher.
Updated only now
After President Vladimir Putin declared an escalation of the war in Ukraine earlier this fall, Russia began an intense hunt for new soldiers who can be sent to the front.
These days, some of them are receiving combat training a few tens of kilometers from the Norwegian border, in the Petzhenga Valley, Murmansk County, reports The Observer of Barents.
Now they will soon receive what may be a one-way ticket to the Ukrainian front, according to researchers VG spoke to. A hard, long and cold winter war awaits us.
– Not only will they fight, they will perform a sacred duty, a sacred mission, says the governor of Komi Vladimir Uiba in a video interview quoted by the online newspaper.
The soldiers were initially sent to a training camp outside St. Petersburg, but are now heading to the northwestern corner of Russia instead, according to The Barents Observer.
– Should we be worried that they train so close to the Norwegian border?
– No, it’s not a threat to Norway or a security issue that they train there, says Kristian Åtland, lead researcher at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI), at VG.
– But the soldiers who train there should be worried about what awaits them in Ukraine.
Russian soldiers have been training for war in the Pechenga valley for many years. 4,000 soldiers were stationed in what is called the 200th Motorized Infantry Brigade in March, according to After post.
The 61st Marine Infantry Brigade has its headquarters in the nearby town of Sputnik. This department also contributed personnel and material to the war in Ukraine.
The Pestjanga Valley brigades have suffered heavy losses since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
– There have been reports of several hundred soldiers killed, so they probably have free space in the barracks, Åtland says.
– These are actually high priority departments, he adds.
– What do we know about the soldiers who are now training in Petsjenga Valley?
– Most of the soldiers now being trained in the Petzhenga Valley are reservists from Murmansk and Arkhangelsk counties and other parts of northwestern Russia. I assume most of them have relevant military service experience, says the FFI chief researcher.
The reservists are above the general population – which Russia has also mobilized – and below the contract soldiers.
– A reservist is someone who has completed initial service and has agreed to be on the reserve lists. He can be compared to the house guard here at home, Norwegian Defense College intelligence dean Tom Røseth tells VG.
You need soldiers as soon as possible
More experienced however, he doubts that the soldiers who are now preparing for war will receive full training before being sent to the front.
This also applies to the soldiers in Petsjenga.
– For Moscow, it is incredibly important to bring the forces to the front as soon as possible, otherwise they may be too little trained, he tells VG.
It is now especially important for Russia to prepare its soldiers for the winter war, Røseth points out.
– Cold weather will be a very important factor in the future, says the researcher.
The important winter
Røseth highlights three decisive factors that will be decisive in the next winter war:
- Soldiers need to be trained in the cold, know how to handle the cold.
- They must be well equipped. Russia is said to have lost 1.5 million winter uniforms, it has more Russian media reported earlier this month.
- Soldiers need to be motivated.
– On all points there are weaknesses on the Russian side, says Røseth.
Russian forces are often sent to the front with insufficient training, insufficient equipment and insufficient motivation, he explains.
– Even if Russia manages to increase its personnel situation along the front through general mobilization, it is not certain that it will have the greatest military consequences, because on these three factors they are worse off than Ukraine.
