MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia is monitoring the Arctic waters and airspace at a distance of over 300 miles from the coastline, a representative of the country’s Defense Ministry told journalists on Friday.
"The system of control of the situation in the Arctic is active at a distance of 500 kilometers [310 miles] from the shore," the representative said, adding that monitoring the situation in the region is key to ensuring Russia’s security in the north.
In 2013, Moscow announced a strategy to increase its presence in the Arctic and to boost the region's development by 2020. Since then, Russia has been particularly active in exploring opportunities in the Arctic and is planning to build a unified network of military facilities in the region in order to strengthen its border defense.
