“The Arctic zone is a very important region of the Russian Federation, which applies to our borders and to our special economic zone. The economic potential is growing from year to year, you know that there are general plans for national development in the “Arctic zone, and all of that is being implemented all the time,” Peskov said.
Satellite imagery provided by space technology company Maxar to CNN provides a clear and ongoing build-up of Russian military bases and hardware along the country’s Arctic coastline, along with underground storage facilities for new high-tech weapons and the Poseidon 2M39 torpedo.
This unmanned sneak torpedo is powered by a nuclear reactor and is intended by Russian designers to sneak along the coastal defenses – like those of the USA – on the seabed.
The Russian hardware in the Northern Territory includes bombers and MiG31BM jets, and new radar systems near the coast of Alaska.
“Nobody wants to see the Arctic as a militarized region,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday when he addressed reports on the build-up of Russian military capabilities in the Arctic.
‘Of course, we realize that the region is an important area that is essential for our own homeland defense, and as a potential strategic corridor between Indo-Pacific Europe and the homeland, making it vulnerable to intense competition if you will, he said.
“We are committed to protecting your U.S. national security interests in the Arctic by maintaining a rule-based order in the region, especially through our network of Arctic allies and partners who share the same mutual interest that we do in that very order, said Kirby. added.
Regarding these concerns, Peskov said: “it should not be forgotten that America itself has never relinquished its military presence in the Arctic zone, nor has it ever weakened its attention to the Arctic zone.”
The Russian construction is linked to movements of NATO and US troops and equipment. US B-1 Lancer bombers stationed at the Norwegian air base Ørland recently completed missions in the eastern Barents Sea. The U.S. Army’s submarine Seawolf submarine was recognized by U.S. officials in August as being in the area.