The Arctic region has long been key to Russia’s oil and gas sector, as well as its nuclear defense.
Despite heavy losses in the war with Ukraine, Russia continues to develop its military bases in the regions of the Far North near the Arctic.
CNN journalists came to these conclusions after studying satellite images that the publication received from Maxar Technologies. The photo shows a number of Russian radar bases and airstrips that have been upgraded over the past year.
“The Arctic region has long been key for Russia’s oil and gas sector, as well as for its nuclear defense, as a significant part of modern nuclear weapons and submarines are located in this area,” the article says.
The publication notes that the Arctic is vital for Russia also because the melting ice opens up new sea routes from Southeast Asia to Europe.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that recent tensions have forced the alliance to “redouble its presence in the north” in response to Russia’s actions.
“The shortest way from Russia to North America is through the Arctic North Pole. Therefore, the strategic importance of these areas has not changed due to the war in Ukraine. Therefore, we see that Russia is reopening old Soviet bases and military facilities,” Stoltenberg added.
As CNN writes, the war in Ukraine strengthened NATO’s presence in the region. Once Finland and Sweden join the alliance, seven of the eight Arctic states will become NATO members.
At the same time, according to the NATO Secretary General, the countries of the bloc are increasingly worried about potential sabotage against the oil and gas infrastructure of Norway. Russian energy is currently under sanctions, but Norwegian natural gas accounts for more than 20% of supplies to Europe.
“After the sabotage in the Baltic Sea, we doubled our presence with ships, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft in the Baltic and North Seas, partly for monitoring, for better situational awareness, but also to send a message to Russia about deterrence and readiness,” Stoltenberg summarized. .
The situation in the Arctic region
On Friday, September 16, Russia began military exercises in the eastern part of the Arctic Ocean – just opposite Alaska. They were named “Umka-2022” and include preparations for potential hostilities in the Arctic region.
In August 2022, seven months into the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that NATO and the United States should increase their presence in the Arctic amid increasing Russian military activity.
