Russia will build up its military presence in the Arctic over the next year, the defence minister said Tuesday, as Moscow seeks to assert its influence in the strategic region.

The announcement comes after years of increased activity in the Arctic, which Moscow has declared a top priority due to its mineral riches and military importance.

"We'll finish building infrastructure in 2019 to accommodate air defence radar units and aviation guidance points on the Sredny and Wrangel Islands, and on Cape Schmidt" in the Russian Arctic, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

He said accommodation for military personnel and further aviation infrastructure had been completed elsewhere in the Arctic, at a defence ministry meeting also attended by President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has opened a string of military and scientific bases in the Arctic in recent years, with interest in the region growing as rising temperatures open up shipping routes and make hitherto inaccessible mineral resources easier to exploit.

Putin has made several trips to the Arctic and last year said further exploration and extraction of raw materials from the area was "extremely important".

NATO this year held its biggest military exercises since the end of the Cold War near Russia's Arctic border with Norway. Finland accused Moscow of jamming GPS signals in the region during the manoeuvres.

At a Victory Day military parade this year, Moscow displayed a new snowmobile used by Arctic units.

Related Links
Beyond the Ice Age

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NOAA: Arctic warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet
Washington (UPI) Dec 12, 2018
NOAA issued its annual report card for the Arctic this week. Not surprisingly, the marks were poor. Numerous studies have detailed climate change's outsized impacts on the Arctic, and the latest report card echoed the scientific consensus. According to the report, surface air temperatures in the Arctic are warming at a rate twice as fast as warming across the rest of the planet, and the last twelve months were no exception. "This year's report shows that the Arctic region experienced the ... read more