500 kilometers from Latvia: Russia is filling military depots with new tanks

This is evidenced by an analysis of satellite images cited by the publication "Important Stories" (iStories). According to journalists, the Russian army is once again forming reserves of armored vehicles, and unlike the early years of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this involves not only old Soviet machines taken out of storage but also modern models recently produced by Russian enterprises. The 22nd Central Reserve Base in the city of Bui, Kostroma region, is of particular concern for the Baltic states. It is located approximately 500 kilometers from the borders of Latvia and Estonia. Analysts have found that from the fall of 2025 to October 2026, new T-90M tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, and presumably repair and evacuation vehicles have appeared at this base. Thus, Russia is not only compensating for losses incurred on the Ukrainian front but is also gradually restoring military reserves in the European part of the country. **New equipment is also appearing near the borders of Finland** Stock replenishment has also been recorded in Karelia, where the 374th Center for Mobilization Deployment Support is located. The distance from it to the Finnish border is about 185 kilometers. According to "Important Stories," new wheeled artillery systems "Malva" and self-propelled artillery systems "Giacint-K" have been arriving there since 2025. Another example is the 349th Central Storage Base in Topchikha, Altai Krai. Since June 2026, about 78 upgraded T-72B3 tanks of the 2016 model and more than 100 BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles have appeared there. In addition, analysts discovered replenishment at the 6018th storage base with BMP-3 combat vehicles and BMD-4 airborne vehicles. **Why Russia is once again filling military depots** In the early years of the full-scale war against Ukraine, the Russian army actively used equipment that had been in long-term storage. Huge stocks of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and artillery systems of Soviet production were gradually depleted. According to estimates published by The Insider in January 2025, by that time Russia had used up more than half of its available military equipment reserves. However, the nature of combat operations has changed. The mass use of drones has significantly limited the capabilities of armored vehicles on the battlefield. Against this backdrop, as indicated by an analysis of open sources, the Russian command has once again begun to accumulate equipment at storage bases, including receiving vehicles directly from factories, explains "Deutsche Welle."