Moscow. December 9. INTERFAX-AVN-the Northern fleet of Russia had to take additional measures in connection with the growth of NATO activity in the Arctic, said the commander of the fleet Alexander Moiseev.
"In the Arctic, the number and scale of operational and combat training activities of the NATO armed forces continues to increase, "he said in an interview with the Russian defense Ministry's Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.
"The military and political leadership of the United States and NATO, ostensibly demonstrating their contribution to ensuring "freedom of navigation" around the world, are implementing practical measures to ensure a regular presence in the Barents sea and in the waters of the Northern sea route, and to increase the capabilities of national and joint armed forces to conduct military operations in the Arctic region, " Moiseev said.
"In order to monitor the activities of the joint NATO naval forces in the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Barents sea, the fleet conducted a number of additional activities. In the course of their implementation, all the goals have been achieved, " he said.
"Currently, there are no challenges in the Arctic that need to be solved by military methods," Moiseyev said.
Last December, at a meeting in Moscow with military attaches, chief of the Russian General staff Valery Gerasimov said that Russia is against the presence of foreign warships on the Northern sea route.
"Today, our Armed forces are able to fully ensure the safety of navigation in the waters of the Northern sea route, and therefore there is no need for other countries' warships to be located in this sea corridor, " he said.
Gerasimov called the Northern sea route "a historically established national transport communication".
