Vladimir Putin has ambitions in the Arctic – much to the dismay of Norway and NATO.Image: keystone
A new front in the power struggle between Russia and NATO is looming around the Arctic Circle. Putin is likely to concentrate his forces in the Arctic.
October 28, 2025, 04:20October 28, 2025, 04:20
Finn Michalski / t-online
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik warns that Russia is currently massively accumulating attack submarines and nuclear weapons around the Arctic Circle. Putin wants to prepare for a possible war against NATO. Sandvik told the British daily newspaper “The Telegraph” that his government had observed significantly increased military activity, particularly around the Russian Kola Peninsula.
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik.Image: keystone
Accordingly, Russia regularly tests various weapon systems there, including hypersonic missiles and nuclear-powered torpedoes. The Kola Peninsula is located on the extreme northwestern flank of Russia in the Arctic Circle and borders Finland and the northernmost areas of Norway. One of the largest arsenals of nuclear warheads in the world is located there. According to Sandvik, these are “not only aimed at Norway, but also at Great Britain and across the Pole at Canada and the USA”.
He warns against underestimating Russian capabilities:
“Even though Putin is suffering heavy losses in Ukraine – he has lost a million soldiers – the Northern Fleet is intact. And it is being expanded.”
Although Russia cannot win the war in Ukraine, it remains a superpower due to the nuclear threat and its second-strike capability from the Kola Peninsula, said the Norwegian Defense Minister.
Russia’s naval buildup
In the past two years, Russia has commissioned another frigate and a new multi-purpose submarine near Kola. Before this latest upgrade, the Northern Fleet already had at least 16 nuclear-powered submarines as well as the Tsirkon hypersonic missile, which can reach speeds of up to eight times the speed of sound.
In addition to the USA and Great Britain, Norway also follows these activities “around the clock,” says Sandvik. It is “NATO’s most important surveillance task”.
The region could become even more important in the future. Global warming is causing more and more polar ice to melt, opening up new shipping routes – the control of which could prove extremely lucrative for Russia, especially in times of tough economic sanctions.
In Oslo, officials emphasize, according to the Telegraph, that the race for two strategically important routes in the Arctic is becoming increasingly important – crucial in the event of a war with Russia. This concerns the Bear Gap between the Norwegian mainland and Svalbard, through which Russian ships enter the Atlantic, as well as the GIUK Gap between Greenland, Iceland and Great Britain.
“Putin must build a bastion defense, secure control of the Bear Gap and deny NATO allies access to the GIUK Gap,” explains Sandvik. The aim is to prevent supplies and support from the transatlantic region, which is why it is crucial for Norway to control both routes.
New Arctic policy with a security focus
In Germany too, people seem to have recognized the signs of the times. On September 18th of this year, the federal government adopted new guidelines for German Arctic policy. The previous strategy from 2019 was still heavily influenced by climate protection and international cooperation; The new orientation, however, sets a clear focus on security policy.
After the gradual demilitarization of the region following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Arctic Council was founded in 1996, which dealt primarily with civilian issues such as climate research and environmental protection, but not with military issues. After Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022, western Arctic states stopped cooperating with Moscow. The Arctic Council has been blocked ever since.
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