Russian special forces train in arctic warfare. Arctic warfare is any armed conflict that takes place in an exceptionally cold climate, usually in snowy and icy terrain, sometimes on ice-covered bodies of water or “moving icebergs.”
Since early 2013 we have been tracking reports that Russian army special forces and airborne units have been training aggressively in Arctic warfare, under plans to boost the country’s military presence in the region.
In fact Russian special forces reconnaissance units have recently carried out a number of training missions on the Kola Peninsula under an “experimental program” simulating combat in the polar regions’ mountainous terrain.
Combat training missions involving elements of mountaineering in the conditions of the extreme north are a new experience for reconnaissance units that normally train in the mountains in southern Russia.
The drills included practicing survival techniques under extreme arctic weather conditions such as finding potable water and food, setting up camp and covert movement through inhabited areas.
This is not an easy task. It is perhaps the most difficult environment to operate in on earth. In the arctic a man can freeze to death in a matter of few hours. It is unbelievably difficult training…
The soldiers employed various types of camouflage adapted to local terrain and held their first ‘sniper duels’ in polar conditions.
According to the Russian military, two arctic brigades will be deployed in Russia’s extreme north over the next few years..
In advance of that objective Arctic airfields and establish a permanent naval presence along the strategically important Northern Sea Route. The Arctic, is believed to have vast untapped natural resources, has increasingly been at the center of ongoing disputes between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark in recent years, especially as rising temperatures lead to a reduction in sea ice, opening up access to lucrative offshore oil and gas deposits. BY some estimates these deposits could be worth trillions of dollars.
See video: Vladimir Putin orders Arctic military build up in 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcHPOsZUQtY
on Apr 9, 2014
On April 9, 2014 for the first time in history, Russian paratroopers were air dropped on drifting ice in the Arctic Ocean at ice station Barneo near the North Pole!
See video: Russian paratroopers land on drifting ices in Arctic Ocean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkHxCGMTdyc
See related video: Freeze Test: Russia’s Northern Fleet drills in Arctic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r-yeZ8sHGY
See video: Abandoned Arctic island to become base for Russian troops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS53zkMNX-A
See video: Russian paratroopers train on Arctic island https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afokVgcBIWA