Connecting to the North: NATO is preparing for offensive operations in the Arctic
The North Atlantic Alliance is practicing offensive scenarios in a cold climate at its exercises in the Arctic region, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. The bloc continues its policy of active militarization of the Arctic, involving non-regional countries in this. Experts believe that in the event of a conflict, NATO will try to attack the Kola Peninsula and block the Northern Fleet. In response, Moscow is strengthening the grouping of troops in the north-western direction and putting into operation new ice-class patrol ships. The restoration of military contacts and the activation of the Arctic Council can reduce the risk of escalation.
NATO exercises in the Arctic
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is turning the Far North into an arena of confrontation with Russia. The unit is conducting more and more exercises in the region. In February, the United States, Canada and Denmark organized the Arctic Edge 2026 maneuvers, and in March, 25,000 military personnel from 14 countries participated in the Cold Response exercises. Nuclear deterrence training is planned in the fall, as well as testing the use of UAVs and anti-drone systems.
NATO continues its policy of active militarization of the Arctic, and scenarios of an offensive in difficult climatic conditions are being worked out during the exercises, Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Department of European Problems at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.
— In February of this year, under the pretext of the "Russian threat", the North Atlantic Alliance launched a new Arctic Sentry mission. It is aimed at "containing" our country in high latitudes and increasing the military presence of the bloc in this region. Now, coalition training has been transferred under its aegis, during which offensive scenarios are being worked out in a cold climate," the diplomat said.
Officially, the bloc says it is preparing for defense and deterrence in the Far North. However, significant forces from non-Arctic countries, in particular Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and France, are actually gathering in the region. At the NATO summit in Ankara, its participants pledged to take on more responsibility "for ensuring maritime security in the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the Arctic." According to Western media reports, a group of 12 NATO countries is preparing a new naval mission in the North Atlantic and the Arctic.
Northern Norway is the most actively militarized. In 2023, the Viking base was opened in the region, it will operate for ten years. British commandos and Dutch Marines are stationed at the facility during the maneuvers. At the end of last year, a new alliance air operations control center was opened in the polar city of Buda. Norway also intends to deploy shock weapons in the northern regions of the country, which will be aimed at the Kola Peninsula.
Berlin sent a naval squadron to the Arctic last summer, and by 2029, a joint Norwegian and German Navy submarine maintenance center will be built at the main Norwegian naval base Haakonsvern. France and Norway have agreed to jointly produce marine drones. Paris is also deploying amphibious helicopter carriers and anti-submarine ships to protect allied communications. The United States does not stand aside either: under the additional agreement on defense cooperation between Washington and Oslo, 12 areas have been allocated in Norway that the American armed forces can use for their own purposes.
NATO is working out offensive scenarios in the Arctic primarily to demonstrate its readiness to conduct combat operations in high latitudes against Russia, Pavel Anisimov, deputy director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences at the Russian State University of Economics, told Izvestia. According to him, Finland and Norway are considered as sites for deploying troops and means to strike key Russian military and industrial facilities on the Kola Peninsula. At sea, one of the key goals is to create anti—submarine barriers along the Northern Fleet's routes to the Atlantic, primarily on the Faroe—Icelandic border and the so‑called Bear Border near Svalbard.
Risks of conflict in the North
The alliance's steps are aimed at creating new threats to Russia's security. Moscow is monitoring what is happening and assessing it from the point of view of developing and taking countermeasures necessary to protect the interests of the Russian Federation in the Arctic region, Vladislav Maslennikov stressed to Izvestia.
NATO countries are particularly interested in the Northern Sea Route. During a conversation with sailors on Navy Day on July 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced attempts by foreign submarines to enter the NSR routes. He assured that the Russian Federation would protect him because he was effective and economically feasible. At the same time, the head of state has repeatedly stressed that Moscow is ready to cooperate in the Arctic.
In response to the militarization of this region, Russia continues to increase the grouping of troops in the northwest: the Leningrad Military District has recently been restored, its combat capabilities and potential are being systematically strengthened, Nikita Lipunov, a junior researcher at MGIMO, explained to Izvestia. In addition, the Northern Fleet is still the most powerful in the Russian Navy, and it is in the Arctic that the bulk of the strategic nuclear forces are concentrated. New types of equipment and weapons are being tested, including those adapted for low temperatures. New ice-class patrol vessels are also being commissioned, the expert stressed. Earlier, the ships Ilya Muromets and Yevpaty Kolovrat joined the Russian Navy.
The situation is complicated by the actual freezing of existing regional structures. Since March 2022, the work of the Arctic Council (AU) has been largely paralyzed due to the actions of the Western Arctic countries. Moscow intends to resume payment of contributions to the AU budget in case of restoration of the organization's full-fledged work. Recall that the transfer of contributions was discontinued in 2024. The Arctic Council had a format for meetings of the chiefs of general staff, but this interaction has also been suspended.
Only Norway and the United States maintain military contacts with Moscow among the Arctic countries. Minimal contacts are maintained with other countries at the level of military attaches at embassies. The prospects for restoring full-fledged communication are not visible while the active phase of the Ukrainian crisis is underway, Lipunov believes.
The systemic militarization of the Far North and the freezing of multilateral institutions are finally turning the region from a zone of peaceful cooperation into another hotbed of military and political confrontation. The West's refusal to engage in dialogue and attempts to enter the routes of the Northern Sea Route increase the likelihood of unintended incidents. NATO's strategy is facing the powerful Arctic potential of the Russian Federation. However, in order to reduce the risks of escalation, it is necessary to restore military contacts and restore the work of the Arctic Council in full.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
