Russia accuses NATO of increasing its military presence in the Arctic

The commander of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, this Thursday accused NATO of increasing its presence in the Arctic in order to contain Russia.

“The increase in the military presence of NATO’s combined armed forces in the Arctic is a fait accompli,” said the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Navy at the Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg, Interfax news agency reported.

This shows, according to Evmenov, “that the bloc has taken practical steps to form military mechanisms to contain Russia in the region.”

According to the admiral, NATO is conducting more and more exercises in the Arctic, “which are not defensive, but offensive in nature.”

“They regularly make solo or group cruises with U.S. and NATO Navy support ships. They maintain a permanent presence of Navy submarines in the region,” he said.

In addition, Evmenov noted the “stable increase in the combat readiness of US strategic aviation.”

“Viewing the Arctic as a region of potential conflict, the United States and NATO countries have intensified their activities in the region, improved military tactics in difficult climatic conditions and expanded the geographic presence of naval forces in the Arctic Ocean,” he said.

Currently, six of the eight countries with an Arctic coast are NATO members, and after Sweden joins the Atlantic Alliance, only Russia will remain.

In October 2022, the United States announced a new plan for the Arctic zone, the first since 2013, which emphasizes security and coordination between countries and the fight against climate change, while strategic competition in the region increases, where Russia and China also has interests.

The Arctic region opens up new prospects for Russia in the context of global warming, making the Arctic Route more viable – an initiative that would facilitate transportation between Europe and Asia, but which would be under Russian control.