Moscow To Rearm All Arctic Units With S-400s To Create Anti-Missile Dome

All anti-aircraft regiment of Russia’s Northern Fleet will be equipped with state-of-the-art S-400 air defense systems in the next few years to create an anti-missile dome able to thwart any enemy incursion, the Russian Navy said.

Russian anti-aircraft missile forces and radio-technical troops stationed in the Artic are going through a comprehensive rearmament process, that sees Russia’s most advanced long-range air defense missile system being delivered to them, Vice Admiral Alexander Moiseev, the commander of Russia’s Northern Fleet, said Sunday.

All Russian military units in the region are set to be equipped with S-400s “over the coming years,” he noted. The build-up will protect the Russian part of the Artic with what Moiseev called “a de-facto anti-missile dome,” effectively impenetrable for any type of weaponry, including enemy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles.

Russia has been boosting its military presence in the Artic in recent years, building and repairing bases and airfields, as well as deploying its newest hardware and holding drills in response to increased military activity of the Western nations in the resource-rich region, that has gained on strategic importance due to its vast resources and geographic position.

The share of new technology and weaponry deployed with the Russian troops in the Artic currently amounts to about 60 percent, Moiseev said.

In September, Russia deployed S-400 air defense systems to the Yuzhny Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in northern Russia, further expanding the airspace under its control.