The risk of war in the Arctic involving Russia and NATO is rising, claimed a top Kremlin commander.
The chilling forecast came from hawkish head of the Russian Northern Fleet, Vice-Admiral Alexander Moiseev, warned NATO countries risk war over the Arctic, head of the Russian Northern Fleet.
He pointed to an alleged significant increase in NATO's presence in polar waters warning that military exercises by Britain and the US along with other Western countries have doubled in five years.
This comes as Vladimir Putin has ordered the reopening and modernisation of military bases along Russia's 15,000 miles of Arctic coastline as the Kremlin taps vast offshore oil and gas reserves.
A military drill in the Sea of Okhotsk. Vladimir Putin has ordered the reopening and modernisation of military bases along Russia's 15,000 miles of Arctic coastline
Vice admiral Alexander Moiseev, head of the Russian Northern Fleet, warned NATO countries to 'keep out' of Russia's 'polar backyard'
'In the near future, we should expect a further increase in the military presence of the combined armed forces and, as a result, an increase in the likelihood of conflict,' said Moiseev, urging NATO to keep out of what Moscow sees as its mineral-rich polar backyard.
The northern fleet commander accused the West of seeking to pressure Russia with sanctions and politicise multilateral cooperation in the Arctic.
He accused NATO countries of failing to recognise Russian national interests and a readiness to use military force as a means to achieve political goals.
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