miniming
44 posts
May 21, 2021
2:51 AM
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'Like a space station'
Even the structure of the base is meant to make a statement: it's painted in the colours of the Russian flag, bright against the blank canvas all around.
Known as Arctic Trefoil for its three-leaved shape, the base is the second of its kind in the Arctic - this one is meant for 150 soldiers.
Ahead of a tour, the commander in charge said it was so high-tech and ecologically efficient it was "like a space station, just in the Arctic emptiness instead of in orbit".
But the main show is outside, where Bastion missile launchers raise and lower their firing mechanisms as a soldier in white camouflage stands guard, gun across his chest.
The missile systems are "to destroy enemy ships," another soldier said. They are "effective", he informed us.
The Northern Fleet put on a far greater show of strength earlier this year when three nuclear submarines smashed through the ice simultaneously, a manoeuvre never seen before. On the same Arctic exercises, two fighter jets flew over the North Pole, refuelling in mid-air.
Such posturing is making the United States and Nato wary as Russia's military presence in the region expands to a level not seen since the Cold War.
Nato's spokeswoman confirmed that the alliance had stepped up its patrols and exercises, in response, she said, to a "more challenging security environment". pg slot
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