ABSTRACT
The deployment patterns of military forces can unwittingly reveal national threat perceptions and military planning priorities. The deployment pattern being pursued suggests that the Kaliningrad area, Crimea, Ukraine and the Russian segment of the Arctic are perceived as the main threat axes. This chapter shows that the deployments portrayed as threatening NATO member states are mainly oriented against Ukraine. However, the prospect of the Russian Arctic forces getting in the near future delivery of the proper number of Mi-8AMTSh-VAs seems unclear in light of constraints imposed by the financial crisis and the diminished access to Ukrainian-produced helicopter engines. Russian military units encircle Ukrainian territory with overwhelming forces to the north, east and south. Russian military posture in the Baltic region inevitably attracts the particular attention of Western observers, since it is one of only two regions in the world where Russian land forces are in direct contact with those of NATO member states.
