Will involve the border between these two countries, new exercises of the Russian Northern Fleet | Fleet | Border
According to a report on the website of the Russian newspaper "Shimbun" on July 3, "Shimbun" learned from sources that the Ministry of National Defense has made a decision to build a new composite army of various branches of the Northern Fleet. The new group army will guard the northern border of Russia, including the borders with Finland and Norway. Defending the Kola Peninsula is a crucial task for Russia, partly due to the deployment of strategic nuclear submarines there. Experts point out that in the context of Finland and Sweden joining NATO, establishing this new army is particularly realistic.
The new composite group army of various branches will be deployed at the group army base, including motorized infantry brigades, regiments, and divisions. Its members will receive polar combat training.
"In the unstable situation in Europe, it is particularly important to consolidate the northwest border militarily," said Ina Vitlenko, Director of the Management and Social Technology Teaching and Research Office at the Northwest Research Institute of the Russian National Institute of Economics and Public Management
In recent years, NATO countries have shown increasing interest in the Arctic region. The NATO Cold Response large-scale exercise is held every two years in Norway. In the spring of 2022, more than 30000 soldiers, over 200 aircraft, and more than 50 ships participated in the exercise.
Last year, the Joe Biden administration released a new version of the Arctic National Strategy. It is particularly emphasized that the United States must strengthen its military presence in the Arctic region by strengthening exercises with partner countries to "contain aggression against the Arctic region - first and foremost from Russia", while updating the North American Air Defense Command's air defense.
The Russian armed forces regularly conduct exercises in high latitude areas, such as the annual "White Bear" exercise, during which personnel training and polar exploration are conducted.
▲ Northern Fleet ships sailing through the Great Belt Strait
On July 1st, the Northern Fleet News Office issued a notice stating that the Arctic military cluster, including the Kola Squadron warships, will conduct a traditional Arctic march, conducting a series of tactical exercises along the mainland coast, islands, and the Arctic Ocean.
In recent years, the Northern Fleet has been receiving new ships built by Russian industry. For example, in 2022, a new 677 class "Krangstadt" submarine was added. These submarines have a displacement of 1800 tons, a speed of up to 21 knots, and a diving depth of over 300 meters.
In addition, the Northern Fleet also possesses the latest "God of the North Wind" - A-class strategic nuclear submarine. The 885 "White Wax Tree", 885M "White Wax Tree" - M-class multifunctional submarine, and 22350 "Admiral Gorshkov" frigate are also in service there. These ships carry "caliber" cruise missiles and will soon be equipped with "zircon" hypersonic missiles.
In the past decade, Russia has begun to establish military clusters in high latitude areas. The Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command was established, with a status equivalent to that of a military district, taking over the territory and troops divided from the Western Military District.
Subsequently, the Central Military Region and the Western Military Region stationed in the Arctic region strengthened the Arctic cluster. The 14th Army Group, consisting of the 80th and 200th Brigades, joined the coastal defense forces of the Northern Fleet. The soldiers of this unit are capable of skiing for combat, using deer carts and dog sleds, and even building ice houses.
The Arctic islands have deployed shore defense missile systems and air defense weapons such as "Ball" and "Fortress". The polar airport has been rebuilt, and fighter planes are on duty there. In addition, the Russian military regularly exercises to mobilize troops from other land and sea areas to the Arctic.
In 2021, the Northern Fleet fleet trained to land along the northern waterway during exercises. The Marine Corps and Arctic motorized infantry units raided the polar coast in different areas.
