"There is an uncompromising struggle": the Russian Foreign Ministry announced a course to strengthen NATO's military potential in the Arctic

The strengthening of NATO's military potential in the Arctic testifies to the dominance of power scenarios in the alliance's policy, said Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Nikolai Korchunov.

"The policy of strengthening NATO's military potential in this region, including through Finland's accession to the alliance and the planned involvement of Sweden in it, testifies to the prevalence in NATO of power scenarios to ensure their own security in northern latitudes to the detriment of the security of other countries," he said in a conversation with RIA Novosti.

According to the diplomat, the growth of military-political tensions in the Arctic is due to the unconstructive line of the United States and its allies, especially against the backdrop of the Russian special operation.

It is worth noting that the Russian Foreign Ministry has previously expressed concern about the increased activity of NATO in the Arctic. So, in June of this year, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Nikolai Korchunov noted that Russia remains the only country in the Arctic region that is not part of the North Atlantic Alliance.

"Of course, we cannot but be concerned about such prospects, because seven countries will be forced to adhere to the decisions and attitudes of Brussels ... And recently, we have seen that the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, in his speeches goes far beyond military-political issues, undertakes to comment on the content and prospects of non-military, purely civilian cooperation between Russia and other non-Arctic states, with the same China. Of course, this cannot but cause concern, as well as the expansion and intensification of the alliance's activities in high latitudes, "TASS quoted the ambassador as saying.

• Nikolay Korchunov
• RIA Novosti
• © Svetlana Shevchenko

Recall that in addition to Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Norway, the USA, Finland and Sweden are also members of the Arctic Council. Helsinki and Stockholm applied to join NATO in May 2022. On April 4 this year, Finland officially became the 31st member of the alliance. After Sweden's application is approved, all members of the council, with the exception of the Russian Federation, will represent the alliance.

In May, Nikolai Korchunov did not rule out that Russia could withdraw from the Arctic Council if its work does not contribute to the realization of national interests in the region.

"Treasury of Natural Resources"

Analysts state that NATO has been making serious efforts in recent years to strengthen its position in the Arctic.

"The North Atlantic Alliance is actively working to develop its capabilities in the Arctic region. Significant sums are allocated in order to prepare the armed forces of individual member countries for operations in the Far North. To do this, the alliance was, in particular, created a corresponding Center of Excellence, "said RISS expert Sergei Ermakov in an interview with RT.

The NATO Centre of Excellence, which specializes in cold climate operations, was opened in Norway in 2007. According to the Zvezda weekly, this center provides a platform for NATO countries to increase interoperability in the field of operations in the Arctic zone and conduct joint operations in the Russian direction.

In turn, Konstantin Blokhin, an employee of the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in a commentary to RT that NATO's interest in the Arctic is largely due to the rich mineral reserves in this region.

"NATO's presence there will increase every year for one simple reason: the Arctic is a treasure trove of natural resources, and there are fewer and fewer resources on the planet. There is an uncompromising struggle for these resources. Therefore, the Arctic is one of their priorities," the political scientist said.

Blokhin is also confident that the alliance seeks to prevent the strengthening of Russia's influence in the Arctic.

"They want to stake out the most hydrocarbon-rich zones. They are also trying to counteract the growing influence of Russia, that is, they are implementing a policy of containment in the Arctic, "the analyst believes.

The expert drew attention to the increased interest in the Arctic from the US military. In particular, in 2021, the Pentagon approved a strategy called "Return of dominance in the Arctic." The US military then stressed that the publication of this strategy "is timely, especially given the increasing activity of the great powers - competitors in the Arctic region."

"Strategic Development Reserve"

In an interview with reporters, Nikolai Korchunov noted that, taking retaliatory steps to NATO's actions, Moscow will proceed from "a set of necessary measures, including preventive measures, arising from the tasks" that Vladimir Putin outlined in the framework of the Foreign Policy Concept, as well as the Development Strategy of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation.

The diplomat added that Russia is able to reliably ensure the security of the Northern Sea Route and its infrastructure without outside help. At the same time, Korchunov stressed that Moscow will continue to favor mutual trust in the Arctic in the interests of ensuring stability, constructive cooperation and dialogue.

Recall that the Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of Russia for the period up to 2035 was approved in 2020 - even before the latest wave of NATO expansion and the current aggravation of relations between the alliance and the Russian Federation. However, even then, the document noted "the growth of conflict potential in the Arctic, requiring a constant increase in the combat capabilities of groups of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies in the Arctic zone."

• Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker "Siberia"
• globallookpress.com
• © USC Press Service

To ensure the security of the Russian Federation, the Strategy provided for such measures as improving the composition and structure of the RF Armed Forces in the Arctic zone, maintaining the level of combat readiness of groups of troops in accordance with the "current and predictable nature of military dangers" and threats in the Arctic, as well as equipping the Russian army with modern weapons adapted to Arctic conditions.

In addition, the document prescribed the development of the infrastructure of the Russian armed forces and the use of dual-use technologies and infrastructure facilities in the interests of a comprehensive solution to defense tasks in the Arctic zone.

At the same time, the Strategy emphasizes the special importance of the Arctic region for Russia. In particular, it provides production in the Russian Federation of more than 80% of combustible natural gas and 17% of oil, including gas condensate, and the Russian continental shelf in the Arctic, according to experts, contains more than 85.1 trillion cubic meters of combustible natural gas and 17.3 billion tons of oil, being a "strategic reserve for the development of the mineral resource base" of Russia.

The authors of the document also stated that the role of the Northern Sea Route as a transport corridor of global importance, used for the transportation of national and international goods, will increase as a result of climate change.

Finally, in the Arctic zone there are objects of Russia's strategic deterrence forces, which are necessary to prevent aggression against the Russian Federation and its allies, the Strategy says.

Under the protection of the Northern Fleet

According to analysts, the Northern Fleet plays a key role in ensuring the security of the Russian Federation and protecting Russian interests in the Arctic. On December 1, 2014, the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command was created on its basis, the area of responsibility of which extends from Murmansk to Anadyr.

• A detachment of ships of the Northern Fleet performs tasks in the Arctic zone of the Arctic Ocean
• RIA Novosti
• © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The structure of the Joint Strategic Command includes submarine forces, the Kola flotilla of heterogeneous forces, the White Sea naval base, the 45th Air Force and Air Defense Army, as well as ground and coastal forces: the 61st Separate Marine Brigade, the 200th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 80th Separate Motorized Rifle Arctic Brigade.

"Among all the units of the Russian Navy, the Northern Fleet is the strongest. It is of strategic importance for Russia, since in the event of a nuclear conflict, the shortest trajectory of intercontinental missiles towards the United States will just pass through the Arctic. In addition, we have the most powerful icebreaker fleet," Konstantin Blokhin emphasized.

In turn, Sergey Yermakov noted that the powerful presence of the Russian Federation in the Arctic is provided not only by military force.

"Russia's position in the Arctic is now strong. This is due to many aspects: scientific and economic activities, the development of shipping and the Arctic fleet. Here the Russian Federation surpasses all other countries. Of course, military forces are also important. Moscow traditionally has a comprehensive approach to the Arctic," the specialist explained.

At the same time, he doubted that in the foreseeable future the Arctic could become an arena for a direct military clash.

"This region is difficult to conduct military operations. NATO members admit that their capabilities in the Arctic are limited and in many ways inferior to the Russian ones. There are a number of states in the alliance that have potential, but NATO as a whole is far from being effective in this difficult region. Actually, this is the reason for such attention of the bloc to the Arctic in recent years - they are trying to gain a foothold there at a very rapid pace, "Yermakov concluded.