Russian Defense Minister Considers Arctic One of Key Priorities for Army

The defense minister named the creation of infrastructure, airfield network improvements and introducing advanced technologies among the Russian Armed Forces' priorities in the Arctic.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — One of the Russian army’s key priorities is the development of military infrastructure in the Arctic, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday.

The defense minister said that the government's development programs focus on military infrastructure in the Arctic, airfield network improvements and introducing advanced technologies to facilitate logistics for the troops.

"The implementation of key federal programs could successfully solve systemic problems associated with utilizing weapons and military equipment, creating infrastructure for the Black Sea Fleet and improving the efficiency of Russia’s air space control," Shoigu said.

Russia is currently the world’s most advanced nation in terms of developing Arctic military infrastructure, according to a US Defense Department assessment made earlier this month.

The Arctic is believed to have vast untapped reserves of oil and gas. Five of the Arctic Circle countries, namely the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark, are particularly interested in exploring these reserves.

Russia regards the development of its Arctic regions to be a top priority.