Showing posts with label Arctic warfare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arctic warfare. Show all posts

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Russia presented evidence to UN to expand Arctic borders by 1.2 million sq km.


Russia presented evidence to UN to expand Arctic borders by 1.2 million sq km.(RBTH).

Russia has submitted evidence to a UN commission that the southern part of the Gakkel Ridge and Podvodnikov Basin, as well a the Lomonosov Ridge, the Mendeleyev Ridge and Chukotka Plateau, are a continuation of the Russian continental shelf, which means the country's borders in the Arctic could expand by 1.2 million square km.

The presentation was made by Natural Resources Minister Sergei Donskoi, who said Russia has done a great deal of research and collected exhaustive data proving its rights to expand its borders in the Arctic. More than ten years of work went into preparing the materials.


"All of the gathered data confirm the continental nature of the Lomonosov Ridge, the Mendeleyev-Alpha elevation, Chukotka Plateau, as well as the uninterrupted continuation of these elements from the shallow water shelf of Eurasia. This is indicated by the consistency of the sedimentary cover, elements of the floor, as well as the general continuity and consistency of deep layers of the earth's crust and the absence of transverse faults of a shifting nature in the area of the juncture of the Lomonosov Ridge and the Eurasian continent," Donskoi said after the presentation in New York.

"In general, the areas that Russia is claiming cover the geomorphic shelf of Russia's Arctic peripheral seas, part of the Eurasian basin (Nansen and Amundsen basins, Gakkel Ridge) and the central part of the Amerasian Basin consisting of the Makarov Basin and the complex of Central Arctic submarine elevations. The application for establishing the external borders of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean is based on the scientific understanding that the component parts of the complex of Central Arctic underwater elevations have a continental nature and are part of the submarine rises that are a natural component of the continental margin," the minister said.


No decisions on the Russian applications should be expected this year. Donskoi said the UN commission's review of the application could take two to four years.

Russia's main rival in delineating boundaries in the Arctic is Denmark, which wants to prove that almost all of the territory that Russia is claiming is part of its continental shelf.

Donskoi said that the areas presented in Denmark's application as belonging to the continental shelf north of Greenland significantly overlap the areas included in the Russian application. This includes the area of the Arctic Ocean near the pole and part of Lomonosov Ridge. There might be similar overlaps in Canada's application.

Russia has held consultations with Denmark and Canada on this issue and reached an understanding that the three countries do not object to the commission considering one another's applications and making its recommendations.

The final delineation of Russia's continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean will be made after the commission makes its recommendations on the Russian application.

Donskoi also said that the commission has received three verbal notes from Canada, Denmark and the United States through the UN Secretary General's Office. "None of the verbal notes contain objections against the consideration of this partially revised Russian application by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf," the minister said. Read the full story here.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Russia's defense min has built a giant military base “Arctic trefoil” in the far northern Arctic.

Source 

Russia's defense min has built a giant military base “Arctic trefoil” in the far northern Arctic.(rferl).

Russia's defense ministry said it has built a giant military base in the far northern Arctic, establishing a sprawling presence where Russia hopes to retrieve oil and other mineral riches.

The ministry said October 20 that the building erected on the large island of Alexandra Land, which is part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, is 97 percent complete.

Named the "Arctic Trefoil," or three-lobed leaf, the massive three-pointed structure is colored red, white, and blue like the Russian flag. It is a permanent structure located on the 80th parallel north and has an area of over 14,000 square meters.

Russia is building up its Arctic military infrastructure as part of a recently updated Naval Doctrine, which proclaims the region as a top priority due to its mineral riches and strategic importance.

Russia has already built a similar military base called the "Northern Shamrock" on Kotelny island in the East Siberian Sea further south on the 75th parallel.



Russia has increasingly asserted itself as an Arctic nation. This year, it filed a United Nations claim for a vast swathe of the region including the North Pole, and it has been holding wargames in the area.

Parts of the same area are claimed by Canada, Norway, and the United States, among other Arctic nations.

The new Arctic Trefoil structure can house 150 soldiers and stock enough fuel and food to let them work and live there independently for a year and a half, the ministry said.





The soldiers can move around the base from one building to another without going outside to face winter temperatures which can reach minus 47 degrees Celsius (-57 degrees Fahrenheit). Roads have been built and fuel can be pumped in from tankers.

"No one has implemented similar projects at such a high latitude until now," said Northern Fleet Commander Admiral Vladimir Korolyov, adding that "the air defense units on combat duty in Russia's northernmost point are combat-ready and capable of performing their assigned missions." Hmmmm.....With Justine leading Canada now the Russians are safe. Read the full story here.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Russia's gas pipelines to Europe by 2018.

Russia's gas pipelines to Europe by 2018. (TASS).


Friday, October 2, 2015

Russia Will Defend Its Right to Arctic Oil, Gas With Missiles.


Russia Will Defend Its Right to Arctic Oil, Gas With Missiles.(SP).

All necessary infrastructure for stationing air defense troops is currently being built on Sredny Island in the Kara Sea, Die Welt wrote.

Around 1,500 workers have been hired to build such military facilities on six islands in the Arctic,” the newspaper added.

Putin Calls for Balance Between Arctic Resources' Extraction and Ecosystem As a major player in the global energy market, Russia is trying to gain access to sections on the Arctic Ocean shelf with a forecast hydrocarbon resource totaling 4.9 billion tons of oil equivalent.

The Arctic is believed to hold up to 25 percent of the planet's untapped oil and gas supplies, and Russia, the US, Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the territory.

The competition has intensified in recent years as shrinking polar ice is opening new opportunities for exploration. Hmmm......Canada will have......Justine? God have mercy. Read the full story here.


Monday, August 10, 2015

Two brand new 'Armed' ice breaking rescue and salvage vessels for Russia are ready at Nordic Yards in Germany.


Two brand new 'Armed' ice breaking rescue and salvage vessels for Russia are ready at Nordic Yards in Germany. (BarendObserver).

The two identical vessels are icebreakers of the second highest ice class, suitable for rescue operations in harsh environments. They can be used both for icebreaking operations in harbors and waters with an ice thickness of 1m as well as for fire-fighting and combating oil spills from the sea.

“Beringov Proliv” will be based in the Sakhalin region, while “Murman” will be based in Murmansk, the shipyard says in a press release.

The vessels can study the ocean floor and damaged objects at depths of up to 1,000m. Furthermore, they are equipped with a helipad on the bow.

The Russian Federal Marine and River Transport Agency and German shipbuilder Nordic Yards in December 2012 signed a contract for the construction of two icebreaking rescue and salvage vessels to operate in Russian Arctic waters. The total volume of the orders was €150 million. Hmmm.....Russia has already a large fleet of Ice breakers, now they're getting armed ones. I Hope that Canada takes notes.

HT And Source:


Related:
US Coast Guard still wrangling with Only one 'retired' heavy ice breaker.

Russian nuclear build heavy ice breaker Yamal.

US Coast Guard still wrangling with Only one 'retired' heavy ice breaker. (Janes).

As human activity in the Arctic continues to expand, the chief of the US Coast Guard (USCG) remains concerned about the nation's limited ice-breaking capability and is continuing to advocate for recapitalising its obsolete fleet of heavy ice breakers.

"This is not a coastguard unique challenge. It's a global access challenge that requires a national solution," Admiral Paul Zukunft, commandant of the USCG, said on 24 February in his annual state of the coastguard address.

Polar-class USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10), a 39-year-old cutter that has been reactivated, remains the United States' sole heavy ice breaker, with sister ship USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB 11) laid up in disrepair. The 16,000-tonne medium ice breaker USCGC Healy (WAGB 20) is also in service.

Demand for ice-breaking capability is only growing, as several recent cases have demonstrated, the commandant noted. Polar Star in mid-February steamed 900 miles and broke through 150 miles of ice to rescue a 207-ft fishing vessel, Antarctic Chieftan , hailing from New Zealand with 26 crew members, that had become stranded in the southern polar region. "Ponder that for a minute, what a truly spectacular rescue and what would happen if we weren't there," Adm Zukunft said. "What concerns me even more is that the United States has no rescue capability whatsoever had it been Polar Star who suffered a catastrophic [mechanical] casualty and become beset in ice."

A study commissioned by the USCG to assess the United States' future ice breaker requirement concluded that a fleet of three heavy and three medium ice breakers would fulfill the needs for operating in the polar regions.

Enticing shipbuilders to help on a new ice breaker also has been difficult. "When you try to incentivise a shipyard to building an ice breaker, most shipyards will not make the front-end capital investments to build one ship of one type. So there's been an expressed need for more than one ice breaker," Adm Zukunft told reporters.

USCG officials have been arguing for a 'whole-of-government' approach to funding a new ice breaker for some time, but the idea has yet to gain traction with US agencies with a vested interest, such as the Department of Defense, which also is struggling with its own budgetary problems.

To keep up with the burgeoning activity in the Arctic, the USCG is weighing options for bolstering its ice-breaking capability in the near term, including leasing ice breakers, reactivating Polar Sea , and possibly pursuing new ship acquisitionHmmmm......Meanwhile the Russians have 6 heavy nuclear powered icebreakers, 7th is being build, and the have 39 diesel powered ice breakers. Good luck defending the arctic from Russia's appetite.China has 2 heavy ice breakers and one more coming in to service next year.Read the full story here.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

'Flexibility' - Russian Ground Forces to hold drills with Indian, Mongolian, Chinese, Belarusian troops this year.


'Flexibility' - Russian Ground Forces to hold drills with Indian, Mongolian, Chinese, Belarusian troops this year. (RBTH).

The Russian Armed Forces' Ground Forces will hold joint military peacekeeping and anti-terror exercises with troops from India, Mongolia, China and Belarus in the second half of 2015.

"In the second half of 2015, the Ground Forces units and formations are expected to take part in five joint military peacekeeping and anti-terror drills with army units from India, Mongolia, China and the Republic of Belarus, as well as with the armed forces of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) member states," according to the documents prepared for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, focused on the development of the Russian Armed Forces.

A total of 18 inter-service drills involving Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy units, armed forces branches and specialist troops are expected to be held before the end of 2015.

"The main event during the summer training period will be a joint command post exercise with central military-command offices, command post crisis-resolution and peacekeeping drills supervised by the Ground Forces commander-in-chief," according to the documents.

In addition, in 2015 the Ground Forces will conduct over 150 tactical and specialist tactical drills with various armed forces branches and specialist troops, as well as field and map command post exercises. Hmmm.......'Practices make perfect' 

Monday, April 6, 2015

Former Amb of Ukraine to Belarus Bezsmertnyi: Gomel and Vitebsk regions have already distributed leaflets that they are "native Russian land".


Former Amb of Ukraine to Belarus Bezsmertnyi: Gomel and Vitebsk regions have already distributed leaflets that they are "native Russian land". (Gordonua). [GoogleTranslate].

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in an interview with Bloomberg said that Belarus will never be a part of Russia, and the Kremlin has threatened the most severe reaction to the attempted military invasion of the country.

Why Belarusian president brought up this topic for the public, what lies behind it, and what can be further developments? All these questions correspondent "Gordon" said Ambassador of Ukraine to Belarus in 2010-2011 Roman Bezsmertnyi.

His position is clear. And whether the current Russian leadership plans for the annexation of Belarus? Especially because the Kremlin has long been talk of the seizure of the Baltic states and threaten Finland, Poland.

- If the spring and autumn of this year, Putin will not be able to explode the situation in Latvia, where it is also possible developments on the "Donbass" scenario, I do not rule out that he may come to Belarus and take Vitebsk and Gomel regions. And this need to think very seriously by the Belarusians, as they missed the moment when you could still get the Eurasian train. This could have been done a year ago, yet they are not completely "swallowed the" bait with EurAsEC.

- And how many are now in the territory of Belarus is the Russian troops?

- Now there are two radar base and several air bases that host five squadrons of aircraft.

- As far as we know, this year want to open another Russian airbase with modern aircraft?

- And they keep doing it, because Belarus does not have its base maintenance of aircraft, left over from the Soviet Union.

- What is the current state of the Belarusian army?

- I can say briefly: the parade have something to show. But I am afraid that it is only "show". If the Ukrainian army to the conflict in the Donbas had tripled stamp to everything fell apart, there is enough only two.

- That is the word Lukashenka: "We will fight against the Europeans, Americans, Russians, anyone, if they set a goal to win this piece of land" - this is just bravado?

- Yes, because that can tell people, long considered to be a dictator in the West, so light-yourself option Gaddafi? Just this.

- How the West react to a possible attack on Putin Belarus, given its long-standing aversion to Lukashenka?

- Just as in the Ukrainian conflict. Will statements conviction concern. It's not in the country, and the principle of territorial integrity. Especially, that Belarus is one of the countries - founders of the United Nations.


Sunday, April 5, 2015

Ukrainian Min of Finance: 'West should provide more then 40 billion dollars, bankruptcy will cost more'.


Ukrainian Min of Finance: 'West should provide more then 40 billion dollars, bankruptcy will cost more'. (vz.ru) [GoogleTranslate].

One of the largest Ukrainian state-owned banks - Ukreximbank - threatens to default.

The only way out of this situation - the consent of holders of notes in the amount of $ 750 million to extend the maturity of these securities. This period, according to The Sunday Times, expires at the end of this month. Material edition leads InoTV .

The author notes that last week, the international rating agency Fitch downgraded the credit rating of Ukreximbank to "C", while noting that a default on external debt of the bank "is now inevitable."

Recently, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine appealed to the creditors of the bank with a request to extend the maturity of the securities, which was announced on the background of the negotiations between Kiev and "holders of bonds of the City and Wall Street" about the huge Ukrainian debt.

Head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance Natalya Yaresko urged creditors to "forgive" Ukraine more than 15 billion debt. According to The Sunday Times, itself a default Ukreksimbanka not lead to a breach of Kiev any loan agreements. But here's the response to the request of creditors Yaresko will be an indicator of a vector will be given a large-scale negotiations on the restructuring of the Ukrainian debt.

The publication stresses that the holders of Eurobonds, led by US investment fund Franklin Templeton  are «furious" from the announced before the start of negotiations "insistence" Natalia Yaresko that creditors will have to write off a portion of the external debt of Ukraine. 

The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance stressed that the question of its restructuring should be resolved before the end of May, so that Ukraine was not out of the program IMF assistance.

Recall that in late March Yaresko stated that the West should provide additional financial assistance to Ukraine in addition to the package of 40 billion dollars, as the country is bankrupt will cost more. 

"I firmly believe that" Seven "and to be honest, as the" Group of Twenty "now have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to Ukraine on a larger scale," - stated Yaresko.

Earlier on Sunday celebrated the Agence France-Presse, Ukraine rocked by a series of crises, because of which she threatened decades of dependence on external assistance.

March 12 The International Monetary Fund has sent Ukraine the first tranche of financial assistance in the amount of $ 5 billion in total this year it will be allocated 10 billion. The money would not be used for social needs , they will go to pay off the national debt.

Meanwhile, prices for electricity, gas, heat and hot water rose to the population of Ukraine on April 1. According to the agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund, the average price of gas for the population increased by 285%.

Tariffs on light for the population of Ukraine also will be increased by 3.5 times in two years. In addition, water tariffs for the population will increase to 4-100% from May 1, due to the rising cost of electricity.

The International Monetary Fund believes that the decline in the economy of Ukraine in 2015 will amount to 5.5%. In addition, the IMF experts believe that in 2015 Ukrainian exports fell against the general deterioration of trade.

Video - Russian helicopter pilots preparing for Victory parade, will fly in very close formation.



Preparing for Victory Parade already in full swing. So helicopter from the Tver region went to the outskirts of Moscow Kubinka to continue preparation for the celebration in the general scheme of the Air Force. However, the flight turned out to be difficult.

Percussion Russian Ka-52 "Alligator" and Mi-28-H "Night Hunter" - machines, of course, all-weather and equally effective both day and night. But hurricane wind and snowfall in early April forced the pilots to demonstrate their skills on the way from Torzhok in Kubinka.

More than two dozen helicopters virtually all types will be presented at the anniversary of the Victory Parade. In addition to the Ma-28-N and the Ka-52, this latest modification of the Mi-8 with the index "AMTSH" and the famous Mi-24, and heavyweight champion of the Mi-26.

For the first time over Red Square they fly not in isolation, but as part of larger units. The distance between the helicopter rotor will not exceed 10-20 meters - even for experienced pilots is a challenge to their skill. Source.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Russia grants Kiev gas discount, but Kiev counts on the EU to fit the bill.


Russia grants Kiev gas discount, but Kiev counts on the EU to fit the bill. (RBTH).

The centrist newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree on the extension of discounted gas supplies to Ukraine. Moscow is ready to supply Kiev with gas at $250 per 1,000 cubic meters. The publication explains that this will allow Ukraine to acquire gas at a cheaper rate than directly from gas hubs in Europe.

However, Kiev, writes the newspaper, is not able to purchase reserve gas even at reduced prices.

The Ukrainian government is counting on the Europeans paying for its gas supplies: Kieve is holding talks with the European bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and other international financial institutions on the granting of loans for pumping natural gas into storage tanks in the summer period in order to create the necessary fuel reserves for the next heating season and ensure the uninterrupted transit of Russian gas to the EU.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta notes that Kiev’s current attempts to use European money to replenish Ukraine’s underground gas storage tanks are a repeat of the actions taken by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in 2009.

Russian experts explain that the super-reduced prices for Ukraine are principally due to political factors. “It appears that the European Union is now interested in the preservation of gas supplies from Russia to Ukraine. And the Europeans may allocate further credit to Ukraine for this,” says Mikhail Krutikhin, a partner at consulting company RusEnergy.

However, he stressed that the sides remained in fundamental disagreement on the issue of the gas contract.  Hmmm.........And there's still the unsettled remaining debt to Russia. Read the full story here.

Russian Pres Putin: 'try to take Crimea away and I will give you a nuclear war'.




Russian Pres Putin: 'try to take Crimea away and I will give you a nuclear war'. (TheAustralian).

As President Putin celebrated the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea on March 18 with an appearance at a concert outside the Kremlin, a group of retired Russian generals sat down in Torgau, Germany, with a group of their American counterparts. The assembled Russians once ran the interior ministry, the military directorate in charge of nuclear weapons, the GRU (Russian military intelligence) and the FSB (the main successor agency to the KGB). The American individuals present had similar backgrounds in the military, CIA and Defence Intelligence Agency.

Behind closed doors, over two days, the Russians delivered a series of blunt warnings from Moscow that reveal just how precarious Europe’s security has become over the past year, and how broad the gulf between the Kremlin and the West now is.

The US party at the Elbe Group talks appears to have been surprised to discover that Russian security experts believe that the US is bent on destroying their country — and that Russia is both entitled and fully prepared to use nuclear force to defend itself. That point of view reflects both Mr Putin’s assessment of Russia’s vulnerability and the KGB background shared by him and his closest advisers, according to Kremlin insiders.

Swaggering nuclear rhetoric has increasingly permeated Russian life. In a recent documentary, Mr Putin said that when he gave the instruction to annex Crimea, he also ordered that Russia’s nuclear forces be placed on full alert.

He has referred to Russia’s nuclear might many times since the Ukraine crisis began, including in remarks to a group of schoolchildren in August, when he reminded them that “Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers”, and “it’s best not to mess with us”.

Notes of the Elbe Group meeting indicate some areas where the Kremlin is open to dialogue, namely on the “future nature and composition” of the contested territory in eastern Ukraine which, the generals say, Russia wants to see become “an autonomous entity in a confederated Ukraine”.

However, they also show the detailed thinking behind the nuclear bluster. Among the “key messages delivered by Russian participants” was a warning that any military move by the West on Crimea would trigger a Russian response, possibly involving nuclear force. “The United States should also understand it would also be at risk.”

The Russian delegation said that any NATO build-up in the Baltics would prompt an increase in Russia’s “nuclear posture”, according to notes drawn up by a US participant. The warning is baldly recounted: “Russia will use its nuclear weapons against NATO.”

When discussing possible Russian action in the Baltics, it reported: “Russian members mentioned a spectrum of responses from nuclear to non-military.” Hmmmm.....I'm convinced Putin believes he can survive a nuclear showdown with the West and emerge victorious.Read the full story here.

Monday, March 23, 2015

"CHANGE" - Putin Pulls Out of Post-Cold War Arms Treaty.


"CHANGE" - Putin Pulls Out of Post-Cold War Arms Treaty. (FT).

At a time when European officials concerned about Russian aggression in Eastern Europe are openly calling for the creation of a Pan-European army, Moscow has announced it will cease all involvement in a major arms control treaty that was signed at the end of the Cold War.

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was an agreement signed in 1990 between the 16 North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries and six Warsaw Pact countries. It set caps on the number of soldiers, tanks, artillery pieces and other non-nuclear military assets that could be stationed in Europe.

State-run media reported that the decision to “withdraw completely” from the treaty was announced by Anton Mazur, head of the Russian delegation arms control talks in Vienna.

Russia’s withdrawal decision is very nearly a formality. Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007 suspended Russia’s observation of the treaty after the other signatories would not agree to changes, in the form of an “adapted” treaty. Russia had felt those changes were necessary because of a realignment of global power away from Russia after the Cold War.

For years, the Russian side has been doing its best to maintain viability of the regime of control over conventional arms, it initiated talks on adapting the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, it ratified the agreement on Adapted CFE Treaty,” Mazur said,according to the Kremlin-owned news service ITAR-TASS. “Regrettably, NATO countries have preferred to dodge CFE provisions by means of the alliance’s expansion and use any pretexts to prevent the Agreement on Adapted CFE Treaty from coming into effect. This course pursued despite our repeated warning about its harmful impacts on the regime of control over conventional weapons led to the unavoidable result — Russia’s suspending the CFE Treaty in 2007.”

Russia had continued to participate in “consultative” meetings with the signatories. However, Mazur said the Kremlin now sees further participation as “pointless from both political and practical points of view and as excessively costly from the financial and economic point of view.” Hmmmm......Change you can believe in. Read the full story here.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Video - Russian Army - We're back !!! (In Russian).




 Source Dep PM Rogozin : As happy as a kid in a candy store: 



Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Russia placing Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad and Tu-22M3 Backfire C Bomber, Missile Carrier to the Crimea

Source


Russia placing Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad and Tu-22M3 Backfire C Bomber, Missile Carrier to the Crimea.(BBC.ru)

Sources in the Russian Defense Ministry told Tass and RIA Novosti about the transfer of Tu-22M3 capable of carrying nuclear weapons, in the Crimea.

It is noted that this transfer will take place "during the check carried out by the sudden readiness of the Armed Forces."

On the relocation of Russian bombers on the peninsula in the autumn reported the US Congress in a letter to President Barack Obama.

On Monday, the military command in Moscow announced another spot checks readiness of the Northern Fleet. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the check will be held until March 21. Hmmm........'Flexibility and Change' More on the Backfire Bomber here.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Belarus Sends Servicemen to Russia for Strategic Command Exercise.

Two partners in 'crime' 

Belarus Sends Servicemen to Russia for Strategic Command Exercise. (SP).

Belarusian servicemen will participate in a joint strategic command and staff exercise with the center command office of the Russian Armed Forces, the country’s defense ministry reported.

“The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will start strategic command-staff exercise with the central bodies of military control on March 17. In order to participate in this event the operational team of officers of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces arrived,” the ministry statement read.

The strategic training will be held amid a snap combat readiness exercise of the Russian Armed Forces in the Arctic region which began on March 16. It includes 38,000 military personnel, 3,360 units of military equipment, 41 warships, 15 submarines, 110 aircraft and helicopters.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Russia's Arctic Soldiers May Be Rewarded With Free Homes in Crimea and other desirable locations in southern Russia.


Russia's Arctic Soldiers May Be Rewarded With Free Homes in Crimea and other desirable locations in southern Russia.(MT).

Russian soldiers who serve in the rough and inhospitable Arctic could be compensated by the state with real estate in Crimea, or other desirable locations in southern Russia, a Defense Ministry official said Thursday.

Russia is pursuing a major military expansion in the Arctic that aims to reoccupy abandoned Soviet positions and assert Russia's territorial claims in the resource-rich North.

Naturally, military personnel service in remote Arctic garrisons can count on quality accommodation in Russia's central and southern regions,” the Interfax news agency quoted Sergei Pirogov, director of the Defense Ministry's housing department, as saying Thursday.

The Defense Ministry has been working to increase the standard of living for its soldiers by building them modern housing and increasing wages for contract soldiers in the hopes of attracting more quality applicants for volunteer service.

Pirogov said that in the last two years, over 2,000 servicemen from the Northern Fleet — upon which Russia's new Arctic command is being built — have been provided with housing in central and southern Russia.

Arctic military personnel may qualify for brand new apartments in the Crimean city of Sevastopol and in Sochi, Pirogov was quoted as saying. Other less exotic locations include Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Smolensk, Tver and other areas with developed infrastructure, he said. Read the full story here.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Russian Bear Flexing it's muscles in the Arctic.


Russian Bear Flexing it's muscles in the Arctic. (MT).

Russia's new Northern Command became operational on Monday, as the country's claims to an expansive share of the Arctic — and its potential economic benefits — become increasingly militarized. First Deputy Defense Minister Arkady Bakhin spoke for the government as a whole last year when he said that "we have come [to the Arctic], and we'll stay there forever. This is the beginning of a big journey."

But despite Russia's expansion and modernization of its forces in the region, it is impossible to meaningfully occupy a shrinking ice cap. Instead, this is one more expression of Russia's new strategy: asserting leverage in the modern world by being the global extortionist.

Even before Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency and the more assertive nationalism that he has brought to the Kremlin, the High North was becoming something of a strategic priority. This reflects not just its potential reserves of oil and gas, but also the commercial polar shipping lanes that are being opened up by the retreat of the ice cap.

Already, the Arctic directly or indirectly accounts for 20 percent of Russia's GDP and as the economy comes under pressure from external forces, the incentive to develop new opportunities will only grow.

Now, according to some reports, the Kremlin is considering setting up a new ministry for Arctic development, following Putin's call earlier this year for "a unified center of accountability for the implementation of Arctic policy."

Moscow has long claimed large portions of the Arctic, claiming that the underwater Lomonosov and Mendeleyev ridges demonstrate that Russia's continental shelf extends far beyond its current 320-kilometer territorial waters. The proposed change would bring an extra 1.2 million square kilometers into Russia's grip with, according to Natural Resources Minister Sergei Donskoi, at least 5 billion tons of new oil and gas reserves.

This all remains in question, but in 2007 the Arktika expedition both demonstratively planted a Russian flag on the seabed at the North Pole and claimed to have found proof of these claims.

However, the Kremlin is not just relying on scientific reports and legal claims. Instead, there is an increasingly strong military dimension to Russia's presence.

The new Northern Command responsible for the Arctic will subsume the Northern Fleet, and there is a growing naval presence in the region. Last year the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great led a squadron of 10 warships and four nuclear-powered ice breakers to the New Siberian Islands.

Indeed, Russia's icebreaker fleet is a particular "ice-power" asset: It is the world's largest and includes the massive nuclear-powered vessel 50 Years of Victory. Beyond that, Russia is constructing a chain of 10 Arctic search-and-rescue stations that, along with its 16 deepwater ports, are intended to consolidate Russia's authority over the Northern Sea Route, which Putin has said may prove even more important than the Suez Canal in shaping global shipping flows.

Long-range air patrols have also been stepped up, and a new, year-round airbase is being built in the New Siberian Islands Archipelago between the Laptev and East Siberian seas to support an even greater presence. This is only one of the 13 new airfields and bases being built, as well as 10 air-defense radar stations.

All this will also permit the use of larger and more modern bombers. By 2025, the Arctic waters are to be patrolled by a squadron of next-generation stealthy PAK DA bombers, but even now cruise missile-armed Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers can cover the polar region. Read the full story here.


Saturday, November 15, 2014

Canadian PM Harper at G20 tells Vladimir Putin to 'get out of Ukraine'.

Not exactly John Wayne...but 'True Grit'.

Canadian PM Harper at G20 tells Vladimir Putin to 'get out of Ukraine'. (CBC).

Stephen Harper had a showdown with Vladimir Putin on Saturday, telling the Russian leader to "get out of Ukraine" in a dustup at the Group of 20 summit in Australia.

Harper's spokesman, Jason MacDonald, said the prime minister was speaking to a group of G20 leaders at a private leaders' retreat on Saturday morning when Putin approached and extended his hand.

MacDonald said Harper told Putin: "I guess I'll shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine."

According to MacDonald, Putin did not respond positively. He didn't provide further details.

But a spokesman for the Russian delegation said Putin's response was: "That's impossible because we are not there."

Harper and the leaders of the world's top economies began the annual summit in a tense atmosphere dominated by Western anger towards Putin and pressure to address climate change, fight Ebola and kickstart economic growth.

A senior government source had earlier stated that Harper had no intention of talking to Putin during the summit, noting the Russian leader was well aware of Canada's position on his aggression in Ukraine. That changed when Putin approached his Canadian counterpart.

Harper has been a vehement Putin critic for months, with Canada and Russia trading a number of retaliatory sanctions.

He recently condemned the "continued penetration of Russian presence in eastern Ukraine and obvious actions to extend and provoke additional violence. That's of great concern to us." Read the full story here.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Canada Ready to Use Force Against Russia in the Arctic – Canadian Foreign Minister

I hope Canada has more then a Rubber boat to back up their claim.

Canada Ready to Use Force Against Russia in the Arctic – Canadian Foreign Minister. (RN).

Canada is concerned about Russia’s military expansion in the Arctic and is ready to defend its interests in the region using military force, John Baird, Canadian foreign affairs minister, told the Berlingske newspaper Monday.

We are deeply worried and ready to promote and protect Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic. It’s a strategic priority for us. When it comes to militarization, we would prefer to de-escalate the conflict, but it is clear that we may protect our sovereignty by force,” Baird told the newspaper.

All Arctic coastal states are currently limited to their exclusive economic zones of 200 nautical miles. However, portions of the Arctic Sea region are in dispute for their shipping and natural resource potential. The melting of the region’s sea ice has opened the possibility for further exploration of petroleum reserves in the area.

The Ukrainian crisis has affected cooperation in the Arctic, with Norway, the United States, Canada and Denmark all imposing sanctions on Russia, which reciprocated with a food import ban. In April, Canada announced it would skip Arctic Council meetings in Moscow due to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Arctic Future: Confrontation or collaboration?


The Arctic: Confrontation or collaboration?Russia Direct.
The Arctic conference in Moscow, “The Arctic: Region of Development and Cooperation”, which was organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) on Dec. 2-3, brought together politicians, diplomats, academics, businessmen and environmentalists from the U.S., Russia, Canada and Europe.
Since the conference presented a unique opportunity to address common challenges in the Arctic and foster cooperation between countries, the organizers of the conference as well as most of the participants were optimistic about the future of the Arctic.

“The Arctic region is a laboratory of new models for international collaboration that can be applied in other [less stable] regions,” said Andrey V. Kortunov, President of the New Eurasia Foundation and the General Director of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).
Artur Chilingarov, the Russian President’s Special Envoy for International Cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic, doesn’t see any reason for future confrontation in the Arctic.  A large number of conferences dedicated to the Arctic indicate that there is growing interest in bringing stability to the region and more cooperation, according to him. 
The Arctic conference in Moscow indicates that there are a lot of unresolved issues that “we need to negotiate,” Chilingarov told Russia Direct.
David Balton, Ambassador for Oceans and Fisheries at the U.S. Department of State, echoes his Russian counterparts.
“I see the United States and Russia as continuing to collaborate in the Arctic for the foreseeable future because the interests of both of our nations overlap very significantly: We both want a stable and peaceful Arctic that can develop and also where we can protect the environment. So, there are no major policy differences between the U.S. and Russia or the other Arctic states.”
The militarization of the Arctic: myth or reality?Read the full story here.
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