Most modern and powerful ship in the Russian navy the Admiral Nakhimov to join the Pjotr Veliky in the Arctic.

Admiral Nakhimov 

Most modern and powerful ship in the Russian navy the Admiral Nakhimov to join the Pjotr Veliky in the Arctic.(RBTH).

The Petr Veliky heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser recently crossed the Northern Sea Route for the first time in the history of the Russian navy. Although the event was virtually unnoticed amid the escalating military conflict in Syria, experts say its implications are as important for international security as a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict would be.

The unit of Northern Fleet warships led by the Petr Veliky heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser followed a route through Kara Strait and Vilkitsky Strait into the Laptev Sea. There, the ships fired artillery and anti-aircraft weapons and then headed to Severomorsk—the main base of the Northern Fleet.

It is interesting to note that this is the first time that any military ship has reached these locations. The last time a large ship independently operated near these waters was in August 1942, when the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer sank the Soviet icebreaker Alexander Sibiryakov in an unequal battle.

The general staff decided to create Arctic motorized infantry brigades; a unit of air defense forces and MiG-31 high-altitude interceptors were deployed to Novaya Zemlya archipelago. In addition, strategic bomber airbases in the Arctic region have been modernized.

"The most remarkable thing about this is the fact that Moscow has been acting unilaterally," says Vadim Kozyulin, a professor of the Academy of Military Sciences. "The Northern Sea Route runs entirely within its current territorial waters. And the ice is melting near Russia's coast, which makes it impossible for other would-be contenders for a share of the Arctic shelf to actively operate in the region."

However, it cannot be said that they have full control of the territory without the constant presence of naval ships. Kasatonov analyzes the route of the nuclear-powered cruiser from this point of view.
According to him, the navy was conducting reconnaissance on the ground: This was the reason that almost the entire Northern Fleet command, as well as a delegation of senior officers from naval headquarters, were on board. The result of their work will be a plan for Russian ships to continuously patrol the region.

According to the admiral, Petr Veliky demonstrated to everyone Russia's ability to defend its interests in the Arctic region. Moreover, in the near future, this missile cruiser will be joined by another ship of the same class—the Admiral Nakhimov heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser.

The vessel is now being completed in Severodvinsk shipyards. Once it is completed, it will be the most modern and powerful ship in the Russian navy, which will allow Moscow to continuously monitor and protect its Arctic territories.

"I'll Be Back" - Russian military resumes permanent Arctic presence.

Russian military resumes permanent Arctic presence.HT: RussiaToday.

On Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry officially announced return of Russia’s military to the Subarctic region. The statement was made to mark the arrival of a task group of 10 warships and support vessels to the western coast of Kotelny Island in the Novosibirsk (New Siberian Islands) Archipelago.

The task group is headed by Russia’s most powerful battleship and the flagship of the Northern Fleet, cruiser Peter the Great (Pyotr Veliky). The group is accompanied by four nuclear icebreakers facilitating the passage through areas with particularly thick ice.
“For the first time ever, all Russia’s nuclear surface ships – heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great and nuclear icebreakers Yamal, Vaigach, Taimyr and 50 Let Pobedy, were combined to perform a joint task,” Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov told journalists Friday.
The task group left the port of Severomorsk and has already covered 2,000 nautical miles, crossing the Barents, Kara and Laptev seas.

“We have come, or rather permanently returned, to where we belong, because it is originally Russian land,” said Army General Arkady Bakhin, Russia’s First Defense Minister.
On Saturday Commander Chirkov told reporters that another group of vessels belonging to the hydrographic service of the Northern Fleet has reached the northernmost coast of the Rudolf Island in the Frantz Josef Land Archipelago and landed there. Later, this group of ships is also expected to call on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago.
“The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will fully implement the task of permanent military presence in the Arctic to secure the legal access of the country to resources and spaces of this region. This will be a constant presence,” Chirkov said.
For Russia, this is only the beginning of improvement of the entire route of the Northern Sea Route and the adjacent Arctic zone, Bakhin said. Even though the task is immense, Russia has the equipment and trained personnel to attain its goals in the Arctic, he said.

Bakhin said that Temp military airfield on Kotelny Island that was inactive for over 20 years will become operable in October, as An-72 and An-74 cargo planes will land there, bringing instruments and supplies for the reactivated Air Force base.

In the near future the airstrip will be modified to be able to receive heavy cargo planes such as Il-76 and An-22 Antey military jumbos. This will speed up reestablishing Russia’s military presence in the Arctic region, as the air connection will be regular, all-weather and all year around.
The Temp military airfield will become the Russian Air Force’s main logistical hub in the region and will be thoroughly modernized, Bakhin said. In the first place this means using special material for the airstrip that will have to withstand most severe conditions and extremely low temperatures of the polar waters.
“We must reestablish Arctic aviation and infrastructure, both on the mainland and the islands,” Bakhin said.

In 2012, the Peter the Great cruiser, with a group of Russia’s Northern Fleet battleships, visited these waters and performed its first beach landing on Kotelny Island.Hmmm.......The Battle for the Artic seems already lost for the US.

Related:  Arctic Shield: Coast Guard Looking North.

The Tri-Command Strategy and Merging U.S.-Canada Arctic Foreign Policy.

Peter the Great cruiser