Russia is restoring former Soviet military bases in the Arctic and holding missile drills in the Far North. Against this backdrop, China is also stepping up its interest in the region.
This was stated by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, during the European Arctic Summit in Finland.
“Russia is reopening former Soviet military bases. They are also holding missile drills here, in the Far North. We also see that China is becoming increasingly interested in the region, so we must remain vigilant,” Kallas said.
She stressed that climate change is opening up new sea routes while at the same time intensifying competition between states for influence in the Arctic.
According to Kallas, that is why the EU plans to present a new Arctic strategy in which security, climate change and environmental protection are closely linked.
Kallas singled out Russia’s “shadow fleet” as a separate problem. She noted that its vessels pose an environmental threat to European waters while also helping Russia finance the war against Ukraine.
- In the summer, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Russia is redeploying air defence systems from key military facilities in the Far North to other regions of the country to counter strikes by Ukrainian drones. However, this does not mean a complete absence of air defence in the region.
- Professor Katarzyna Zysk of the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies said that Russia is unlikely to expect a large-scale attack in the Arctic direction in the near future and therefore considers it acceptable to weaken its defences.