Russia has launched large-scale military manoeuvres in its Arctic waters with an exercise involving 1,800 soldiers, more than a dozen ships, and 40 planes and helicopters.
According to the Russian navy’s Northern Fleet, the exercises are aimed at protecting “the security of the Russian Merchant Navy and sea lanes such as the Northern Sea Route.” This summer shipping route is used extensively by Russia to transport liquified natural gas (LNG) and other fuels to Europe, and even to Asia via Belgium.
The military exercises are expected to last several days with drills intended to test coordination between air, sea, and land forces, the Northern Fleet announced on Monday.
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The Northern Sea shipping route is an area of growing geopolitical importance as global warming opens up the usually frozen route between the Atlantic and Pacific. The increasing strategic and economic interest has led to a scramble to secure the Arctic, with Scandinavian NATO members and Russia seeking to expand their control over this route.
To reaffirm its claims on the Arctic region, Moscow established specialised combat units for the polar conditions nearly 10 years ago. Russia also controls numerous northern military bases and airfields to exert its influence in the region.
