Militarization of Russia’s Northwest May Make It a Flashpoint for Crime and Violence as Veterans of Putin’s War Return Home, ‘Horizontal Russia’ Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 2 – The rapid militarization of Murmansk and Karelia with Moscow on the way to increasing its military presence there from 30,000 to as many as 100,000 troops, combined with the return of veterans of Putin’s war in Ukraine and high rates of alcohol consumption may make it a flashpoint for violence, Horizontal Russia says.

            That is because, the portal which covers Russia outside of Moscow says, the share of military personnel with combat experience in Ukraine will be far higher than elsewhere, combined with PTSD and alcohol consumption will likely mean that any violence by returning veterans will be exacerbated (semnasem.org/articles/2026/07/02/sever-pod-pricelom).

            This report calls attention to a development that may prove far more important than most imagine: While most men returning from service in Ukraine will be separated, others will continue to serve in the military; and the latter will change the way in which security forces and the population interact as well.

            That is because those who remain in uniform may also suffer from PTSD as well and thus are more likely to engage in violence if they are used to suppress violence by those who are separated from the service, thus setting the stage for an escalation of crime and violence in places where the military is concentrated.

            That includes in the first instance the Russian northeast where Putin has been building up forces ostensibly because Finland and Sweden have joined NATO but in fact in order to put pressure on all the countries in that region, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and possibly engage in provocations or an invasion of them.