Moscow Says US Military Activities Contribute to Escalation in Arctic Region

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's actions in the Arctic region do not pose any threat and do not violate international laws, and regional tensions only escalate due to the US military activities, the foreign ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Friday, commenting on US reports about Russia's "unprecedented military might in the Arctic."

"Russia does not do anything in the Arctic that would contradict international law or pose a threat to other countries. If we talk about possible sources of the escalating regional tensions, it would be logical to say that this is the military activity of the US and its allies in the Arctic, which is accompanied by belligerent rhetoric. NATO and its member states, including non-Arctic nations, stage provocations there, and it happens on an increasingly regular basis", Zakharova said at a briefing.

A Pantsir-SA air defense system based on the chassis of the DT-30 all-terrain tracked vehicle during the final rehearsal of the military parade in Moscow marking the 72nd anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945

© Sputnik / Aleksey Nikolskyi

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Washington has already said it plans to send a vast number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and F-22 Raptors to Alaska, adding that the US is determined to "protect its interests in the Arctic Ocean". The Pentagon also said that the US Navy will begin South China Sea-style patrols in the Russian Arctic maritime zones as it attempts to challenge both Moscow and Beijing.