Russia boosts its Northern Fleet Russia is expanding its Northern Fleet in the Kola Peninsula, building new bases, upgrading Soviet-era ones, and constructing storage facilities for submarine-launched cruise and ballistic missiles ------------------------ Arctic Circle DETAIL MAP RUSSIA Moscow SWEDEN FINLAND NORWAY 500 miles 800km ------------------------ NORWAY Kirkenes FINLAND RUSSIA KOLA PENINSULA Murmansk DETAIL MAP Vardo, Feb 2018: Su-24 strike aircraft stage mock attack on Norwegian Globus-II radar statio Pechenga, Oct-Nov 2018: Russia jams GPS signals during NATO’s Trident Juncture exercise Zaozersk: Nuclear weapons storage. Homeport of K-560 Severodvinsk – Russia’s most advanced 4th generation nuclear powered submarine Bolshoya Ramozero: Nuclear weapons storage Monchegorsk Air Base: Air patrols to resume in Arctic air space. Two squadrons of MiG-31BM (Foxhound B), armed with Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic air-to-air missiles Gremikha Naval Base 100km 62 miles ------------------------ BARENTS SEA Northern Fleet: 41 submarines, 37 surface vessels, missile and artillery divisions, motorized infantry brigade and air force KOLA BAY Zapadnaya Litsa: Largest submarine base in Russia, with four naval facilities. Nuclear waste stored at Andreeva Bay Andreeva Bay Malaya Lopatka Bolshaya Lopatka Nerpichya Bay Ara Bay Zaozersk: Residential city for Zapadnaya Litsa Vidyayevo Uraguba Bay: Homeport of K-141 Kursk which sank in Aug 2000 Gadzhiyevo naval base: Three nuclear weaponstorage bunkers, five under construction Homeport to Project 955 Borei-class Yury Dolgoruky – new-generation nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine armed with 16 RSM-56 Bulava missiles Each missile carries six independently targetable nuclear warheads – total of 96 warheads per vessel RSM-56 Bulava (SS-NX-30) Range: 8,000km (estimate) Olenya Bay Polyarny: Shipyard Okolnaya Bay: Up to 50 reinforced weapons bunkers under construction Severomorsk: Northern Fleet HQ Yury Dolgoruky: Navy plans to acquire 10 Borei-class submarines by 2020 Murmansk: Maintenance base of Atomflot nuclear icebreaker facility 20km 12.4 miles ---------------------------- Sources: Thomas Nilsen, The Barents Observer; Defence Blog; IHS Jane’s Picture: Russia Ministry of Defence © GRAPHIC NEWS