After Ultra-Modern Military Base, Russia Will Build A Naval Fleet In The Arctic

Illustration of a Russian submarine in the Arctic. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - Russia is reportedly planning to increase the number of its naval fleet, by building strength in the northern sea area, to ensure safety and security in the region.

Sources in the Russian Navy told TASS that the Russian Navy did not rule out establishing an Arctic Fleet to ensure the safety of the region's sea routes.

"Russia's Arctic Fleet, a new structure, is being considered. It will be a separate formation within the Navy, and its responsibility is to ensure the safety of the Northern Sea Route and Arctic coast in the area of responsibility of the Northern Navy and Pacific fleet," the source said. , citing TASS 7 October.

According to the source, the creation of this fleet will allow the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet to focus on completing combat missions.

"The plan is that the new association's infrastructure will be separate from the North and Pacific fleets. In the future, there will be ships and special equipment suitable for the Arctic," the agency source said. TASS did not receive official information about the creation of the fleet.

Illustration of the Russian S-400 Triumf missile defense system. (Wikimedia Commons)

To date, the Russian Navy is part of the Armed Forces with operational and strategic formations, the Baltic Fleet, Pacific Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, Northern Fleet and Caspian Fleet.

Previously, Russia confirmed its presence in the Arctic. The Red Bear Country is building an ultramodern military base, right in the heart of the Arctic, where Moscow's dispute with NATO is.

The development of accessibility and navigation routes in the Arctic region is rapidly melting, attracting global competition and Moscow's conflict of interest with various countries, including the United States.

"The enemy must not pass," said one of the commanders of Russian troops in the region, Ivan Glushchenko, as reported by The Moscow Times, Wednesday, May 19.

Glushchenko, one of the base's officers, said his men spotted the Norwegian reconnaissance plane early last week.

Although passing without violating the border, the Russian troops sent one of their planes to 'accompany' the Norwegian plane for several hours.

These tensions are likely to resurface in Reykjavik, Iceland on Wednesday, when a ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council consisting of Russia, the United States (US), Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland takes place.

The military base in question is the 'Arctic Trefoil', the northernmost military base located in the remote archipelago of Franz Josef Land, in the Arctic Ocean.

Built on the island of Alezandra Land which is only inhabited by military personnel, Russian troops are stationed in a clover-shaped complex, painted in the colors of the Russian flag, white, blue, red.

Illustration of a Russian military base in the North Pole. (Wikimedia Commons/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation)

Occupying the ruins of the Soviet Union site, the complex now covers more than 14,000 square meters and is capable of self-sustaining for more than a year. Formerly, this was the Nagurskoye air base.

The base is equipped with necessities such as power generation, water purification and heating systems. The base also has a clinic, gym, cinema, sauna and even a church.

All facilities are connected by heated tunnels, allowing about 150 or so soldiers to escape the bad weather outside, where temperatures can drop as low as minus 42 degrees Celsius.

"This complex is like a space station, the only difference is not in orbit but in the Arctic desert," explained General Igor Churkin, one of the commanders of the Russian Northern Fleet occupying the base.

"The base also offers the Bastion coastal defense system with a range of 360 kilometers. It has demonstrated its reliability in extreme weather conditions in the Arctic," said commander Balabek Eminov.

In addition to the 'incident' over the Norwegian plane, Russia is also paying attention to the military developments of other countries around the North Pole. Northern Fleet Commander Alexander Moiseyev said US and NATO forces were maneuvering the Arctic with increasing regularity.

In response to the current situation, Russia has increased its military presence in recent years, in particular by deploying advanced S-400 air defense systems to the region.