“Russia is amassing unprecedented military might in the Arctic,” CNN reported on Monday, April 5, 2021.
Satellite photos show “a stark and continuous build-up of Russian military bases and hardware on the country’s Arctic coastline, together with underground storage facilities,” CNN said, adding, “The Russian hardware in the High North area includes bombers and MiG31BM jets, and new radar systems close to the coast of Alaska.”
A “senior” State Department official told CNN the buildup is concerning to the U.S. and its NATO allies because it could enable Russia to assert control over the Northern Sea Route, an Arctic shipping lane skirting Russia’s northern coast that could cut container shipment times from Asia to Europe in half compared to the Suez Canal route. Read more about it here.
