Russia Upgrades Key Arctic Military Base With Expanded Runway Russia upgrades the runway at one of its main Arctic military bases. The newly paved and lengthened runway is part of a systemic upgrade of infrastructure in the region.
The Russian Northern Fleet: New Acting Commander and Several New Submarines The Russian Northern Fleet has gained a new Acting Commander in Vice Admiral Konstantin Kabantsov. He replaces Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, who has been promoted to acting Commander-in-Chief of Russia's Navy. The Northern Fleet has also received four new submarines, and another is underway.
The Russian Northern Fleet With Frequent Exercises in the Barents Sea and the White Sea This week, the Russian Northern Fleet's destroyer Admiral Ushakov practices live-fire shooting in the Barents Sea – and the anti-submarine ship Onega practices submarine hunting in the White Sea. With this, the fleet has carried out 11 smaller exercises so far in May.
Ukraine War Taking Toll on Arctic Material and Personnel Reports of Arctic weapon systems and military personnel being lost in combat continue to stack up. Air defense missile systems, self-propelled howitzers, and massive transport vehicles all either designed for or stationed in the Arctic have been destroyed by the Ukrainian military.
Control Over Arctic Ocean Top Priority Of New Russian Naval Doctrine Russia’s new maritime doctrine identifies U.S. and NATO maritime activities in the Arctic as major security threats. Putin states that Russia will protect its Arctic waters firmly and by all means.
Russian Warship in the Norwegian Sea Followed by Norwegian Coast Guard for Days During the past week, the Norwegian Coast Guard has observed the activities of the Russian cruiser “Peter the Great”, according to the Norwegian Armed Forces. The cruiser has operated near the “Banana Hole”, a sea area located between Norway and Greenland, and is allegedly the largest vessel of the Northern Fleet currently at sea.
“Extensive Russian Marine Exercises May Reveal Moscow’s Thinking” The Russian Northern Fleet participates in a larger Russian navy exercise taking place both in the Barents Sea and the world’s oceans. “The fleet’s exercises open up for rare insights into Russian calculations of the future trajectory of the Ukraine conflict” argues Researcher Ina Holst-Pedersen Kvam at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy.
Open Norwegian-Russian Dialogue about Cold Response 2022 The Russian Northern Fleet was during a video conference last week informed by the Norwegian Armed Forces about the upcoming large-scale winter exercise Cold Response 2022. The meeting happened following a Norwegian initiative, based on a desire about transparent dialogue and preventing potential misunderstandings.
Russian Submarine hit Royal Navy Warship Sonar in the North Atlantic The incident happened in late 2020 and was captured by a Channel 5 TV crew filming a documentary.
Russian Northern Fleet and FSB Border Guards to Conduct Arctic Exercises in 2022 The exercises will happen in early August.
Russia Pays Considerable Attention to Improve Arctic Infrastructure, says Defence Minister Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu says Russia takes measures to improve capabilities in the Arctic, as the NATO alliance increases its military activity.
Russia Elevates Importance of Northern Fleet Upgrading it to Military District Status Russia has upgraded the administrative status of its Northern Fleet for a second time in less than a decade. As of 1 January 2021 the Northern Fleet, whose area of operation includes the Arctic, has become its own military district.
Russian Paratroopers Perform First-Ever High Altitude Jump Over Arctic Airborne Forces conducted the first-ever Arctic parachute jump from a height of 10,000 meters using oxygen equipment. The three-day training exercise occurred over the Franz Josef Land archipelago.
U.S. Navy Plans to Send Surface Vessels Through Arctic The United States Navy is drawing up plans to send multiple surface vessels through the Arctic Ocean this summer, signaling a potential change in US policy to more effectively counter and possibly contain Russia's influence in the region.
Russia Lifts Veil on New Arctic Military Base, but Secrets Remain While Russian officials frequently cite the need to defend the country’s interest in the Arctic, Arctic experts see a number of underlying objectives for the expansion of military assets.
