The Russian Navy may get an Arctic Fleet to ensure the Northern Sea Route’s safety, a source in the Navy told TASS on Thursday.
“The Russian Arctic Fleet, a new structure, is under consideration. It will be a separate formation within the Navy, and its responsibility will be to ensure the safety of the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic coast in the area of responsibility of the Northern and Pacific fleets,” the source said.
According to the source, the creation of this fleet will allow the Northern and Pacific fleets to focus on solving combat missions. “The plan is that the infrastructure of the new association will be separate from the Northern and Pacific fleets. In the future, it will have ships and special equipment suitable for the Arctic,” the agency’s source said.
Another official denies
As per Interfax, Russia has no plans to create a separate fleet for operations in the Arctic.
“Our Northern Fleet not so long ago received the status of a military district and a joint strategic command. It is geographically located in the Arctic. There is nothing additional and is not expected,” said one of the Interfax sources.
Another source told the agency, “The current military infrastructure is optimal for ensuring Russia’s national interests in the Arctic zone and protecting the Northern Sea Route.”
As reported, the Northern Fleet of Russia received the status of a military district on January 1, 2021.
The Northern Fleet is an interspecific strategic association of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation that protects Russia’s national interests in the Arctic and other regions of the World Ocean. The submarine forces of the Northern Fleet are considered the most powerful grouping of nuclear submarines of the Russian Navy.
Tass has also denied that it received the information formally. “TASS did not receive any official information on the fleet creation,” it said in a news release.