Russia in biggest Arctic military push

Moscow is rushing to re-open a chain of military bases throughout the Arctic, and building new ones, in the biggest military expansion since the fall of the Soviet Union as it vies for dominance in the region

Russia building three nuclear-powered icebreakers – including Arktika, world’s biggest – to bolster fleet of around 40 breakers, six of which are nuclear

No other country has nuclear breaker fleet

Arktika (LK-60YA class)
Length: 173m
Beam: 34m
Displacement:
33,540 tonnes
Arktika can break through floating ice 3 metres thick


New
Military
Airfield being upgraded
Russian Arctic bases


1 Murmansk
Base for Russia’s icebreakers, due to get two ice-capable corvettes with cruise missiles

2 Arctic Trefoil
To host 150 troops able to survive autonomously for 18 months

3 Northern Shamrock
Moscow’s biggest Arctic base, manned by 250 personnel and equipped with air defence missiles

RUSSIA
ALASKA (U.S.)
GREENLAND (DENMARK)
CANADA
U.S.
NORWAY

Moscow
Alakurtti 80th Army brigade
Rogachevo
Wrangel Island
Sredny
Island Anadyr- Ugolny
Cape Schmidt
Tiksi
Vorkuta
Naryan-mar
Alykel
Severomorsk Northern Fleet HQ
Pechenga 200th Army brigade
North Pole
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ARCTIC OCEAN
PACIFIC OCEAN
Bering Strait
Northern Sea Route
250 miles
400km

Sources: Heritage Foundation, Global Security, Rosatomflot, wire agencies