Russia views NATO activity in the Arctic as a direct security threat, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an article published on Monday, as alliance members strengthen their presence in the region following Russia’s war against Ukraine, Reuters reports, writes UNN.
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In February, NATO launched a mission called "Arctic Sentry" to strengthen its presence in the far north, which, the publication notes, highlights the alliance’s increased focus on the Arctic amid tensions with Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire to gain control of Greenland.
Russia, which has naval forces, including nuclear-powered submarines, in the Arctic, considers the region its sphere of interest, it is noted, and is also developing a shipping route linking it with Asian countries.
Moscow previously protested against the Arctic Sentry mission, and in the article Lavrov, the longtime foreign minister of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, said that Russia views NATO military exercises in the region as "aggressive."
"Such military activity in the Far North creates direct threats to Russia’s security. The risks of incidents that could provoke an armed confrontation with potentially catastrophic consequences are increasing," Lavrov said in the article published by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russia has a large-scale military presence and extensive military infrastructure in the Arctic, and in recent years China has begun to increase its activity in this mineral-rich area, mainly in partnership with Moscow.
Norway, Russia’s neighbor, expanded its recently established military brigade headquartered in the Arctic this month, the latest step by the NATO country to strengthen its defence footprint after the full-scale war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine began in 2022.
Moscow, the publication writes, has previously rejected allegations that it poses a threat to NATO.
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