In a Finnish town a stone's throw from Russia, Moscow's reported military build-up on its side of the border is raising concerns about the Nordic country's security, locals told AFP.

Finland, which dropped decades of military non-alignment to join NATO in 2023, shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia.

Recent satellite images obtained by media outlets including the New York Times, Finnish public broadcaster Yle and Swedish broadcaster SVT have revealed an expansion of Russian military infrastructure in various locations near the Finnish border.

Speculation is rife that Russia could be preparing for future military action against Finland once its war in Ukraine is over.

Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland of repercussions since it joined NATO after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"We have now noticed some new organisational changes, such as new divisions which are beginning to appear near Finland's borders," military expert Emil Kastehelmi, of Finland-based Black Bird Group which analyses Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Russian forces near NATO's eastern border, told AFP.

"Russia continues to build, prepare and train in the vicinity of Finland's and NATO's eastern border," he said.

Kastehelmi said the Russian activity was a reaction to Finland's NATO accession, as well as an........

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