Russia is building up its military presence in Arctic - CNN
Despite heavy losses in ]war with Ukraine, Russia continues to develop its military bases in Far North near Arctic. CNN journalists came to such conclusions after studying satellite images that publication received from Maxar Technologies.
It was informed by Censor.NЕТ with a reference to UNIAN.
The photo shows a number of Russian radar bases and runways that have been enhanced over the past year.
"The Arctic region has long been key to Russia's oil and gas sector, as well as to 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 also vital for Russia because melting glaciers open new sea routes from Southeast Asia to Europe.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said recent tensions have forced the alliance to "double its presence in the north" in response to Russian actions.
"The shortest route from Russia to North America is through the Arctic North Pole. So, the strategic importance of these areas has not changed because of the war in Ukraine. Therefore, we see that Russia is reopening old Soviet bases, military facilities," - Stoltenberg added.
According to CNN, the war in Ukraine has 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 concerned about potential sabotage against Norway's oil and gas infrastructure. While Russian energy is under sanctions, Norwegian natural gas accounts for more than 20% of supplies to Europe.
"After the sabotage in the Baltic Sea, we have doubled our presence with ships, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft in the Baltic and North Sea, partly for monitoring, for better situational awareness, but also to send a message to Russia about deterrence and readiness to protect this critical infrastructure," Stoltenberg concluded.
