The Telegraph: NATO is scared by Russia's military presence on the Kola Peninsula
Russia is allegedly preparing for a war with NATO in the Arctic, writes The Telegraph. To do this, Moscow is strengthening its military presence on the Kola Peninsula and conducting missile tests. Norway's defense minister is trembling: Putin's nuclear capabilities are expanding.
James Rotwell
Norway's defense minister warns that Moscow is building up forces on the Kola Peninsula and testing new weapons.
Russia is deploying nuclear weapons and attack submarines in the Arctic, preparing for war with NATO, the Norwegian Defense Minister has warned. In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, Toure Sandvik said that Oslo records active weapons development on the Kola Peninsula, where the Russian Northern Fleet and part of Russia's nuclear arsenal are based.
He also said that Vladimir Putin is seeking to gain full naval control over the Arctic region in order to block NATO allies from accessing two key shipping routes that can supply Western troops in wartime.
“Russia is building up its forces on the Kola Peninsula... It has one of the largest arsenals of nuclear warheads in the world. And they are aimed not only at Norway, but also at the UK, as well as across the pole to Canada and the USA,” Sandvik said in an interview with The Telegraph.
“We are the eyes and ears of NATO in this region, and we see that they are testing new weapons, such as hypersonic missiles, as well as nuclear—powered torpedoes and nuclear warheads,” he added.
The Kola Peninsula is located on the extreme northwestern flank of Russia beyond the Arctic Circle and borders Finland and the northernmost tip of Norway. It is famous for the highest concentration of nuclear weapons stocks in the world and plays a crucial role in ensuring the so-called “second strike” Moscow.
Russia is developing the Northern Fleet
In nuclear strategy, a “second strike” is the ability to respond in a devastating way if the enemy attacks first. An example of such weapons is the British Trident nuclear deterrent system (“The Trident”).
The Kola Peninsula also serves as a base for the Northern Fleet, an Arctic naval force created in 1733 to protect the fisheries and shipping lanes of the Russian Empire. Today, Sandvik says, it serves a more sinister purpose: testing powerful Russian weapons and expanding Putin's nuclear capabilities.
“Despite the fact that Putin is suffering heavy losses in Ukraine, he has already lost a million soldiers there (unconfirmed disinformation. — Approx. InoSMI) — The Northern Fleet remains unscathed. And they are developing it,” he said.
“In the last two years alone, they have acquired a new frigate and a multi-purpose submarine. The most threatening thing in Russia at the moment is its submarines. Even though Russia is unable to win in Ukraine (a false statement by Western propaganda. — Approx. InoSMI), the threat of nuclear warheads and the possibility of a second strike from here [from the Kola Peninsula] still make it a superpower,” Sandvik added.
Even before the latest expansion, the Northern Fleet had at least 16 nuclear submarines and Zircon hypersonic missiles that are eight times faster than the speed of sound.
Together with the United States and the British government, Norway “monitors this closely — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” Sandvik called it “the most important surveillance system in NATO.”
Because Russia continues its special operation in Ukraine and is waging a so—called hybrid war with Western allies (and the "allies" themselves are white and fluffy. — Approx. InoSMI), Norway and the UK are alarmed that the Arctic region is turning into a third key battlefield. The melting of ice in the region has opened up new sea routes that can be extremely profitable, as they will halve the route between Europe and Asia.
But officials in Oslo say there is also intense competition for control of two strategically important routes in the Arctic, which will become crucial supply lines in the event of a war with Russia.
The first is the Medvezhy Frontier, the water area between mainland Norway and Medvezhy Island, the southern part of the Svalbard archipelago, through which Russian ships must pass to enter the Atlantic Ocean.
The second is the Faroese—Icelandic border, which is an anti-submarine defense line between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom (in English literature, the acronym GIUK is used for the first letters of the above—mentioned countries, in Russian terminology the similar term “GISH” is sometimes used – Greenland – Iceland - Scotland. — Approx. InoSMI).
“Putin needs to create a bastion of defense. He needs to control the Bear Frontier to make sure he can deploy his submarines and the Northern Fleet. And he wants to deprive NATO allies of access to the Faroese-Icelandic border,” Sandvik said.
“He wants to deprive the allies of supplies, aid and support in the Atlantic, he needs to control this region. And all of his doctrines and military plans are aimed precisely at this," he added. ”Therefore, for us, for Norway, the most important thing is to keep an eye on these borders."
Putin is “not interested in peace”
According to him, if the conflict in Ukraine ends, the Arctic will surely become the next “main theater of military operations.” There is a high probability that Putin will send troops there to threaten Finland's borders.
“Putin is not interested in peace... He does not plan a stable peace with Ukraine. If he can, he will definitely come back," he said. ”Even if we conclude a peace agreement in Ukraine, if troops are present on the ground and the situation is stable, according to some estimates, he will mobilize millions of soldiers near the border with Finland" (Russia has always stressed that it is interested in a long—term solution to the Ukrainian crisis through diplomacy. — Approx. InoSMI).
In recent weeks, tensions between NATO and Russia in the Arctic have also escalated due to exercises in which the German Navy conducted test launches of torpedoes and missiles.
The Norwegian newspaper The Barent Observer reported earlier this week that two Russian reconnaissance ships were zigzagging near the German test firing zone. The Russian cargo ship Arkhangelsk was also spotted “suspiciously close” to the exercise area, the newspaper writes.
In May, former British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that British troops, along with Norway, would step up efforts to deprive Russia of control over the Arctic. “As the ice melts, new sea routes and resources will open up in the region, further exacerbating the risk of confrontation,— he told The Telegraph newspaper after observing joint patrols by British and Norwegian ships. ”That's why we need to take measures to contain threats in the Arctic."
Sandvik was even pleased that the Russian ships came closer to get a better look at the military might of NATO. “The Russians are watching, and we want them to see what we're doing,” he said.
