Russia is replenishing military equipment storage bases that were largely emptied after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with new satellite imagery showing newly manufactured T-90M tanks and other armoured vehicles entering storage rather than going straight to the Ukrainian front, according to an investigation published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on October 16 and reported by the Kyiv Post on October 23.
Source: RFE/RL via Kyiv Post / Bytes Europe, Oct 23, 2026
Satellite images taken in October 2025 and October 2026 show significant changes at the 22nd Central Tank Reserve Base in Buy, in Kostroma Oblast, about 500 kilometres from NATO territory and from the borders of Estonia and Latvia. The equipment identified there includes T-90M tanks, BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, the investigation said.
Source: RFE/RL via Kyiv Post, Oct 23, 2026
A separate investigation by the independent Russian outlet iStories, reported on October 17, also found equipment arriving at several storage facilities, including bases near NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Finland. iStories said the equipment was being sent to storage facilities, had not been transferred to active military units and was not ready for immediate deployment.
Source: iStories via Kyiv Post, Oct 17, 2026
At the 349th Central Tank Storage Base in Topchikha, in Altai Krai, analysts identified about 78 refurbished T-72B3 tanks and more than 100 BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles arriving from around June 2026, iStories reported. Another storage base, the 6018th, has also received BMP-3 and BMD-4 vehicles.
Source: iStories via Kyiv Post, Oct 17, 2026
In Karelia, the 374th Mobilization Deployment Support Center, about 185 kilometres from Finland, has been receiving Malva artillery systems and Giatsint-K self-propelled guns since 2025, the iStories reporting said.
Source: iStories via Kyiv Post, Oct 17, 2026
Analysts quoted in the coverage stressed that the build-up does not necessarily indicate preparations for an imminent confrontation with NATO. Moscow may instead be rebuilding its military potential for the coming years, and Russia remains heavily committed to the war in Ukraine, which significantly limits its ability to open another conventional front.
Source: Kyiv Post / Bytes Europe analysis, Oct 23, 2026
Russia is also expanding military infrastructure near NATO's borders and preparing facilities that could accommodate tens of thousands of additional troops, the coverage said, raising questions about Moscow's long-term military plans, particularly in the Baltic and Nordic regions.