Putin opens Arctic front in New Cold War strategy

   (Ukraine Today) --- Russia's Arctic territorial claims encompass an area of roughly 1.2m sq km

   Russia has announced it is deploying new radar stations and fighter aircraft on islands in the Arctic Ocean as Russia increases its presence on the frozen continent amid a simmering territorial dispute over the energy-rich region.

   Moscow announced back in 2008 that it would use the Arctic zone as a "strategic resource base" for the development of Russia in the 21st century.

   Russia's territorial claims encompass an area of roughly 1.2m sq km which Moscow hopes would secure the rights to billions of tons of oil and gas. But Denmark, Canada and the US all dispute this and also each claim huge swathes of the vast continent, which is predicted to become ice-free in the coming decades.

   Russia has been steadily strengthening its Arctic military presence reviving a number of military bases that Moscow abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union so they can host troops, warships and aircraft.

   Russia's Northern Fleet consists of about 3,000 ground troops trained for combat in Arctic conditions, along with 39 ships and 45 submarines - a a major plank behind Moscow's plan to expand its borders in the region.

   Some experts say one-fifth of Russia's GDP is generated above the Arctic, and 40 percent of its future oil and gas lies under its frozen waters - the main driver for Russia's military build-up in the Arctic.

   Russia has repeatedly called for the Arctic to remain insulated from the geo-political ramifications of the Ukraine crisis but since Russia annexed Crimea and invaded east Ukraine all countries with arctic claims have been growing increasingly concerned about how the Kremlin plans to negotiate and secure its borders along its Arctic frontier.