Russian Defense Ministry to Construct 15 Military Facilities in Arctic in 2016

15 facilities of military and social infrastructure for the needs of the Russian troops deployed in the Arctic region are expected to be constructed this year, according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov.

ROGACHYOVO (Russia) (Sputnik) — The Russian Defense Ministry will construct 15 facilities of military and social infrastructure for the needs of the troops deployed in the Arctic region, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov said on Tuesday.

"The construction of the infrastructure for Russia's Armed Forces in the settlement Yuzhny located at the Novaya Zemlya archipelago is in high gear… Some 15 facilities are expected to be constructed this year," Bulgakov told reporters.

He added that a number of facilities in the Arctic region for the purposes of the Russian Navy and Aerospace Forces, such as aerodromes in the cities of Tiksi, Vorkuta and harbor in the Severny settlement, were also under design or construction.

Russia has been stepping up its military, trade and exploration activities in the Arctic region. It has been building transport and energy production infrastructure, as well as installing military facilities and developing the Northern Sea Route linking Europe to Asia.

The importance of the Arctic region has been increasing in recent years as the melting of the region’s sea ice has opened the possibility for further exploration of petroleum reserves in the area, as well as for navigation through the Northern Sea Route.