MPs fear resurgent Russia threat to Arctic stability

MINISTERS have been urged to show “greater ambition and apply more resources” to address the developing security situation in the Arctic.

A panel of MPs have warned that a resurgent Russia could mean a return to “great power competition” in the region.

In their report, On Thin Ice: UK Defence in the Arctic, the defence sub-committee identified the Arctic and High North as an area where Russia might seek to expand its presence and influence.

Although the Arctic has traditionally been an area of low tension, the retreating ice sheet is making the Arctic more accessible to shipping and is exposing the region’s extensive natural resources to exploitation.

Alongside these broader changes, the sub-committee has noted an increase in military activity in the Arctic and High North that has been led by Russia.

This has included the construction and re-activation of manned bases along Russia’s Arctic coastline and on its islands on the edge of the Arctic Ocean; build-up of heavily armed, Arctic-trained land forces near the borders of neighbouring states; the re-introduction of strategic bomber flights over northern airspace, progressive installation of long-range missile and air defence systems, and an increase in the level of naval activity that projects power from the Arctic into the North Atlantic.

The sub-committee’s view is that this build-up goes beyond what would be proportionate to a purely defensive posture and should be a matter of concern given Russia’s “aggressive and revisionist behaviour”.