Russia is fast becoming a dominant Military power in the Arctic

[Hindustani78]

I doubt this land will be of any importance in practice, mining there would cause too much damage to the local environment and the world's ecosystem.

The Arctic contains an estimated 30 percent of the world's undiscovered natural gas and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil reserves which means money worth billions. I think some system will be made to cut gas emissions and investment would be made in other parts to the world.

 

[papertiger]

The Arctic contains an estimated 30 percent of the world's undiscovered natural gas and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil reserves which means money worth billions. I think some system will be made to cut gas emissions and investment would be made in other parts to the world.

Yes maybe so, but with the attention problems like climate change is getting I don't think the world powers will take kindly to a country unilaterally deciding to mine the Arctic.

There would have to be a pressing need for mining to happen, EG maybe the world's resources are running low.

Given how important the world's poles are for the planet's health (it helps regulate the climate and orbit) I hope whoever decides to mine knows what they're doing, otherwise it's just asking for trouble. Personally I think the poles should be off limits to mining.

 

[papertiger]

Funny thing is Even Denmark is claiming Arctic

Yes I don't think all these territorial claims mean anything, if the world is so low on resources than mining the Arctic is necessary then it will be the biggest guns who control the area. I doubt China or the US care what Denmark says when their survival is at stake.

 

[Schutz]

I doubt this land will be of any importance in practice, mining there would cause too much damage to the local environment and the world's ecosystem.

Well only if the worlds in such a state that this is viable, in which case Russia putting a flag on the bottom wont amount to much if China/USA roll in because if mining the arctic becomes financially viable then that means the world is ready to breakdown.

 

[Hindustani78]

January 30, 2015 17:59
Rosneft completes formation of order book for Zvezda shipyard - USC - Interfax

Rosneft completes formation of order book for Zvezda shipyard - USC
VLADIVOSTOK. Jan 30 (Interfax) - Rosneft (MOEX: ROSN) has completed the lineup of vessels it is having built at the Zvezda shipyard in Primorye, a spokesman for United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) subsidiary Far East Center for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair reported.

"First and foremost, this concerns ice class vessels needed to develop Russia's north. These are production and exploration platforms, ships for exploring oil reserves, for transportation hydrocarbons from the fields," said Yury Filchyonok, the head of the Zvezda plant in the Far East, where the shipyard will be built.

After launch of the production lines at the shipyard, in Bolshoi Kamen, manufacture will begin of the topside modules for stationary complexes to develop offshore fields in the Arctic, mobile drilling rigs (semisubmersible and jack-up), shelf support ships, including supertankers, as well as icebreakers.

 

[Hindustani78]

Military & Defense
February 25, 17:26 UTC+3
Permanent presence in the Arctic and the opportunity to defend state interests militarily is viewed as a constituent part of the general policy of national security protection, said Sergey Shoigu

MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Non-Arctic developed nations are craving for access to the Arctic areas and are making political, military and economic steps to attain their objective, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday at a meeting of the Defense Ministry’s board.

"Developed countries that don’t have immediate access to the Arctic or sub-Arctic areas are no less actively seeking to get into the Arctic and they’re making definite political, military and economic steps in that direction," he said.

Besides, the Arctic littoral nations are doing their best to expand the national territories at the expense of the continental shelf and the islands located in the Arctic Ocean.

Along with it, permanent presence in the Arctic and the opportunity to defend state interests militarily is viewed as a constituent part of the general policy of national security protection, Shoigu said.

"It’s an open secret for everyone that the Arctic is gradually turning into a center of hydrocarbon production and into a mighty junction of international transport communications," he said.

 

[Tshering22]

If any other country acts like Russia its called warmongering.

What about Falkland, friend?

 

[Hindustani78]

Mar. 12, 2015, 11:41 AM

In order to enforce its various claims on Arctic territories, Moscow has stepped up the militarization of its northern coast. This includes the reopening of former Soviet bases, the construction of new ships, and the creation of a new military command, Defense News reports.

This buildup is part of Russia's long game in the region. The Arctic is still too frozen currently for effective shipping or natural resource extraction. But that will change in the coming years. And Russia is trying to ensure that it has the upper hand once the Arctic can be fully exploited.

"These efforts cannot be explained by any requirements that exist today or will arise in the near future," writes Anton Lavrov, an analyst at the Moscow-based Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, according to Defense News. "Russia is not facing any direct military threats from the north. Its military buildup in the Arctic pursues long-term goals rather than any immediate objectives."

Russia's biggest new military development in the Arctic is the creation of the Russian Joint Strategic Command North (JSCN), which is built out of the former Northern Fleet. The command, according to Defense News, has a surface fleet and a submarine fleet of about 40 vessels each, although between 40% and 70% of those ships are currently unusable.

According to the Polish Institute of International Affairs, the JSCN won't be an ordinary naval fleet. The command will ultimately feature an air defense division, two Arctic mechanized brigades, a naval infantry brigade, a coastal defense missile system, and the placement of missile regiments in outlying archipelagos in the Arctic Ocean.

Ministry of Defense of the Russian FederationSpecial tactics training of Russian Arctic forces in the Murmansk region

As part of the air defense regiment, Moscow is moving a total of nine S-400 Triumph air defense missile systems to the coast. The S-400 is a long-range surface-to-air missile system that can engage a variety of targets, including aircraft, drones, and other missiles. Triumph air defense missile systems can strike at targets up to 250 miles away and at a maximum altitude of 18.6 miles.

New infrastructure throughout Russia's remote northern coast will support this military buildup. Formerly abandoned Soviet bases are being reopened and new ports and airstrips will be constructed. Moscow's current plans envision the opening of ten Arctic search-and-rescue stations, 16 deepwater ports, 13 airfields, and ten air-defense radar stations across its Arctic coast.

Ministry of Defense of the Russian FederationNorthern Fleet Coastal Troops practice seaborne assault

Once completed, this construction will "permit the use of larger and more modern bombers," Mark Galeotti, an NYU professor specializing on Russia, writes for The Moscow Times. "By 2025, the Arctic waters are to be patrolled by a squadron of next-generation stealthy PAK DA bombers."

The construction of the bases is placing additional pressure on Russia's neighbors.

One of the new bases is in Alakurtti in the Murmansk region, just 31 miles away from the Finnish border. Murmansk will soon be the location of over 3,000 ground troops, 39 surface ships, and 35 submarines.

Russia's drive to militarize the Arctic is in keeping with the country's new military doctrine, which was signed into law on Dec. 26 last year. The new doctrine explicitly states that NATO's expansion was the main external threat facing Moscow and that Russia should reinforce three key geopolitical fronts.

Russia's focus on the Arctic stems from the unclaimed natural resources under the ice. The US estimates that a possible 15% of the earth's remaining oil, 30% of its natural gas, and 20% of its liquefied natural gas are stored within the Arctic sea bed.

 

[Hindustani78]

Putin puts Northern Fleet on alert for Arctic exercises: Report | Zee News
Last Updated: Monday, March 16, 2015 - 14:27

Moscow: President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian Navy`s Northern Fleet and paratrooper units to go on full alert as part of snap military exercises in the Arctic, RIA news agency quoted the defence minister as saying on Monday.


Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is overseeing an expensive modernisation of the armed forces, said Russia faced new threats to its security which obliged it to boost its military strength and capabilities.

"New challenges and threats to military security require the armed forces to further boost their military capabilities. Special attention must be paid to strategic formations in the North," state-run RIA quoted Shoigu as saying.

Tensions between Russia and the West have reached their worst level since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine.

The West and Kiev accuse Russia of supplying arms and soldiers to support pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine who are fighting government troops.

NATO made new allegations last week that Russia was arming the separatists in east Ukraine, where more than 6,000 people have been killed in nearly a year of fighting.

Moscow has boosted its ambitions in the resource-rich Arctic region, where it shares a border with NATO member Norway, and the military is looking to boost its capabilities in the region.

The tests were due to include nearly 40,000 servicemen, 41 warships and 15 submarines, RIA reported.

Reuters

 

[jhungary]

What about Falkland, friend?

ask the people in falkland, not the one in the UK nor Argentina

 

[Tshering22]

ask the people in falkland, not the one in the UK nor Argentina

So why isn't the west ready to accept when Crimeans have favored to join Russia? By your own logic, isn't it wrong to press against Russians for this?

Kievan Rus has been thebbed rock of their civilization originating in what is now Ukraine. Isn't it wrong by your own analysis to use political attacks against them?

 

[jhungary]

So why isn't the west ready to accept when Crimeans have favored to join Russia? By your own logic, isn't it wrong to press against Russians for this?

Kievan Rus has been thebbed rock of their civilization originating in what is now Ukraine. Isn't it wrong by your own analysis to use political attacks against them?

lol dude, why do you think there were no shot fired, not even an intervention from Ukraine when Russian encroached Crimea? And that Russia even admit that they are the one annexed Crimea

While there were fighting in East Ukraine and yet Russia denied involvement and does not support the annexation even tho those Pro Russian rebel asked for it repeatedly?

Have you ask yourselves why? One side no bullet even fire and the transition is also as smooth as silk while one month later the Eastern Ukraine went to shit and Russia deined involvement? lol

Dude, anyone have an eyes and a brain will know Ukrainian government allow the transition in Crimea happens, some friend of mind working mid level ukrainian govenment even go out and say it was deal under the table from Ukraine to Russia so the Ukraine Government would not face any opposition to join EU from Crimea, which is majority Russian.

 

[Hindustani78]

TASS: Russia - Russian Air Force crews start redeployment to Arctic areas

March 17, 17:39 UTC+3
After the redeployment the pilots will drill landing operations, air cover of the Ground Force units and launching a strike on ground targets with the use of missile-bomb and aircraft guns

MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. About 30 army aviation crews of the Western Military District have started redeployment on Tuesday within a snap check of combat readiness of the Northern Fleet and separate groupings of the Western Military District and Airborne Force units.

They are being redeployed from airfields in the Leningrad and Smolensk regions to a military airfield in the Arctic, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"During the flight the crews of the Mil Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters will cover a distance of more than 1,500 km with a stopover for refuelling in Karelia," the ministry said. "The redeployment of the army aviation units is conducted in the flight formation of squadrons. During the flight the crews drill piloting techniques within wings and nap-of-the-earth flights."

After the redeployment the pilots will drill landing operations, air cover of the Ground Force units, launching a strike on ground targets with the use of missile-bomb and aircraft guns, as well as search and rescue operations with the evacuation of the injured.

In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a surprise inspection of the Northern Fleet and separate formations of the Western Military District is conducted in the period from March 16 to 21. The snap check involves some 38,000 troops, 3,360 units of military equipment, 41 warships, 15 submarines, 110 warplanes and helicopters.

This is not the first large-scale inspection of the Armed Forces’ combat readiness. Since the beginning of the year, inspections have been conducted in the Western, Central and Eastern Military District, including with large-scale exercises involving the newest serial military equipment of the forward strike forces. The drills include the mobilization of reservists, checks of operational readiness of the aerospace forces, special task forces, groupings of all service arms, the Air Force, as well as the surface and submarine fleet.

Before the current Air Force manoeuvres, tactical flight exercises were held in February 2015 — crews of the attack helicopters Mi-28N "Night Hunter," Mi-35 "Crocodile," Mi-8AMTSh "Terminator" transport and attack helicopters conducted tactical flight training at a Krasnodar region range. Also, the Ladoga-2015 exercise, involving about 30 Sukhoi Su-27 and MiG-29 fighter jets was conducted at military airfields of the North-Western and Central Federal Districts of Russia.

 

[Hindustani78]

Chart of Russia's fortification of the Arctic - Business Insider

• Jeremy Bender

• Mar. 17, 2015, 12:31 PM

The Arctic ice is slowly melting, and Russia is positioning itself to take advantage of new shipping routes along with natural resources available beneath the Arctic seabed.

In order to capitalize on a changing Arctic, Russia is undertaking a major military upgrade of its northern coast and outlying Arctic archipelagos. These bases — which include search-and-rescue stations, military ports and airstrips, and military headquarters — are positioning Russia to become the dominant power in the region.

The following chart from The Heritage Foundation's 2015 Index of Military Strength shows the massive scope of Russian construction throughout the Arctic.

The Heritage Foundation

As The Heritage Foundation notes, most Arctic states have developed some kind of military presence in the region to bolster economic activities. Only Russia has taken the additional step of completely militarizing its Arctic frontier.

It's even moving most of its ships to the region. "Russia's Northern Fleet," the foundation reports, "based at Severomorsk, account for two-third of the Russian Navy."

The Northern Fleet itself is due for a massive upgrade starting in 2015 that will last through the rest of the decade. The fleet has been upgraded to a unit called the Russian Joint Strategic Command North (JSCN), which, according to the Polish Institute of International Affairs, won't be an ordinary naval force.

The command will ultimately feature an air-defense division, two Arctic mechanized brigades, a naval infantry brigade, a coastal defense missile system, and the placement of missile regiments in outlying archipelagos in the Arctic Ocean.

To support this undertaking, a number of old Soviet bases are being upgraded, and new bases are being built throughout the region. The JSCN headquarters will be located at Severomorsk, in the Murmansk region. This headquarters will be further supported by a newly reopened former Soviet base in Alakurtti, Murmansk, which will house over 3,000 ground troops just 31 miles from the Finnish border.

In total, Moscow's plans involve the opening of ten Arctic search-and-rescue stations, 16 deep-water ports, 13 airfields, and 10 air-defense radar stations across its Arctic periphery.

Economist

Once completed, this construction will "permit the use of larger and more modern bombers," Mark Galeotti, a New York University professor specializing on Russia, writes for The Moscow Times. "By 2025, the Arctic waters are to be patrolled by a squadron of next-generation stealthy PAK DA bombers."

Russia, Denmark, Norway, Canada, and the US all have partial claims to the Arctic Circle.

 

[Hindustani78]

March 18, 12:51 UTC+3
Russia’s Armed Forces are for the first time holding their Arctic exercises that kicked off on Monday and will last through March 21