By Dominic Taylor-
New satellite images reveal an unprecedented Russian military presence in the Arctic, showing that Russia’s military has been busily rebuilding and expanding its facilities over recent years.
The pictures show runways have been revamped while additional surveillance and air defence assets have been deployed. It’s also understood that Russia has been testing its latest weapons in an area where ice has melted away due to the effects of climate change.
This latest development comes as three of Russia’s nuclear ballistic missile submarines were seen to smash through the Arctic in a show of military might.
Experts agree that the weapon is “very real” and already coming to fruition. The head of Norwegian intelligence, Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensønes, told CNN that his agency has assessed the Poseidon as “part of the new type of nuclear deterrent weapons. And it is in a testing phase. But it’s a strategic system and it’s aimed at targets … and has an influence far beyond the region in which they test it currently.” Stensønes declined to give details on the torpedo’s testing progress so far.
The radical steps are believed to be part of Russia’s bid to secure its northern coast and to create a major shipping route stretching from Asia to Europe in half the time as previously.
According to CNN, experts are concerned about a number of new generation super weapons being developed and tested by Russia in the Arctic, which they fear could target the US.
There has been particular concern about the Poseidon 2M39 torpedo, which is said to be under development at a rapid pace.
Update
Russian President Vladimir Putin is said to have requested an update on a ‘key stage’ of the tests from his defence minister Sergei Shoigu. Going forward, further tests have been planned for 2021, as discussed in a number of reports published in Russian state media.
It’s intended that this device will deliver a warhead of multiple megatons, causing radioactive waves with the potential to leave large parts of the target coastline uninhabitable for many decades.
Christopher A Ford, who was assistant secretary of state for International Security and Non-Proliferation, said in November the Poseidon was designed to ‘inundate US coastal cities with radioactive tsunamis’.
The foreign ministry of Russia has declined to comment on the country’s Arctic build-up or concerns voiced by US officials.
However, the country has long maintained that the motives behind the strengthening of its military presence in the Arctic region are “economic and peaceful.”