Russia
Deploys Troops, Robots Along Entire "2nd Middle East"
Arctic Belt
22
October, 2014
On
the heels of Sweden's
military deployment (following the discovery of a damaged Russian
sub),
it appears Russia
is taking no chances
with its access to Arctic resources.As Reuters reports, the Russian
defense minister announced today that Russian
military units will be deployed along the entire Arctic border from
Murmansk to Chukotka in 2014.
Interfax
adds
that combat robots are also being deployed to protect Russian oil and
gas infrastructure in the harsh environment of the Arctic. This
should be no surprise as The
Guardian notes,
the Arctic’s hydrocarbon resources nevertheless exert a powerful
pull. It has been compared to "a second Middle East", with
oil
and gas reserves thought to represent 17% and 30%, respectively, of
the global total.
This
of course, is nothing new...
On
11 October, in an attempt to forestall such criticism, the Russian
defence ministry announced plans to build “a regional environmental
centre [...] to prevent pollution in areas where Russian forces are
deployed”. Russian troops systematically receive “training and
briefings on environmental safety and compliance with legislation”,
deputy minister Dmitry Bulgakov added. But it will take more than
this to reassure the western powers.
But
is a major escalation along such a massive border...
*
* *
And
finally, Interfax
reports,
Combat robots to protect Russian oil and gas infrastructure in Arctic
Undersea
combat robots will be protecting Russian oilrigs and transportation
networks in the Arctic region at some point, Deputy General Director
of the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects, Chairman of
the Foundation's Scientific and Technological Board Vitaly Davydov
told Interfax-AVN.
"The
Foundation is not designing robotic sharks but it is working
on undersea robots and autonomous gadgets capable of protecting
infrastructure, controlling the waters and detecting, tracking and,
if necessary, destroying a potential enemy. The prospective machinery
may be deployed on the sea bottom and specialized submersibles,"
he said.
So
far, the Foundation is focused not so much on defense issues as on
mineral development projects, Davydov said.
"The
rivalry in this region will be centered on its natural resources. A
key task to be solved in the Arctic is access to mineral resources,
first and foremost, hydrocarbons. This goal can be achieved through
the completion of numerous tasks in the discovery, production and
transportation of resources, sub-glacial operations and
infrastructural security. This is the target of the Foundation's
research programs," he said.
*
* *
As
The Guardian concludes, The
Arctic, which is governed by international maritime law, is also the
focus of other disputes. Canada
regularly carries out military exercises in its Arctic territory.
Relations between Ottawa and Moscow have cooled significantly since
the start of the Ukraine crisis.
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