Russia Weaponizes The Arctic: Will Build 13 Airfields And 10 Radar Stations To Meet “Unwelcome Guests”

zerohedge.com / by Tyler Durden on 10/30/2014 17:16

Two weeks ago, Sweden was gripped by a ludicrous panic when it dispatched virtually its entire army, navy and airforce to hunt down what according to eyewitness reports (subsequently proven to be false) was a Russian sub that had broken down somewhere close to Stockholm. There was no sub. However, one angle that made the story plausible were rumors of a recent surge to Russian military transports and support units to the Artcic, in a scramble to defend its vast natural resource deposits located close to the North Pole. And not surprisingly, this weaponization of the Artic was confirmed two days ago when a senior military commander said that Russia will build at least 13 airfields and 10 radar stations in the Arctic to safeguard the nation’s military security in the region.

As cited by RIA, Lt. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Management Center said: “We are planning to build 13 airfields, an air-ground firing range, as well as ten radar and vectoring posts.”

The NS 50 Let Pobedy Arktika-class nuclear-powered icebreaker sails in the Arctic Ocean

Why the sudden rush to defend its national interests in this odd, cold place? Simple: this is Moscow’s in-kind response to a comparable scramble by the Qatar-Saudi Arabia-US triangle as they do all they can to promote the “Syrian passage”, allowing transit of Qatari nat gas into Europe, a gambit which for now has failed.