This construction took place somehow quietly and imperceptibly in all the media, and now on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Defense, a virtual 3D tour of the Northern Fleet military base "Arctic Trefoil", built for military personnel on Alexandra Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago, was launched.
The Arctic Trefoil is the only capital construction project in the world, erected at 80 degrees north latitude. The base in the form of a three-pointed star consists of numerous special-purpose structures, as well as control points, garages, warehouses and an autonomous power unit. It is completely autonomous and provides comfortable accommodation for up to 150 military personnel for a year and a half. The total area of the complex is 14 thousand square meters.
The administrative and residential complex "Arctic Trefoil" is the second closed-cycle complex being built in high-latitude regions of Russia. The first, at 75 degrees north latitude, was built the AHK "North Clover" on the island of Kotelny in the archipelago of the New Siberian Islands.
The housing and administrative complex of the base is a five-storey building on stilts, the lower floor of the building is a technical one, intended for communications. It has the shape of a three-pointed star in plan, which is why the name of the base came about. The total area of the complex is 14,000 m2. The main building is painted in the colors of the Russian flag. In the center of the building, at the intersection of the beams, there is an atrium, over the central pillar of which there is a glazed observation deck, from which the entire territory of the base is controlled. The housing and administrative complex is designed for autonomous residence and the performance of official tasks by a garrison of 150 people for 18 months, for which the base is provided with food and fuel storage facilities of the appropriate capacity.
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In addition to the main building of the housing and administrative complex, the base includes a power plant; a water treatment plant for 700 tons of water obtained by disinfecting snow; onshore pumping station for fuel replenishment; sewerage facilities; heated garages for military equipment. All buildings of the base are interconnected by heated covered galleries. There is also an Orthodox chapel built of wood at the base.
The restoration of a military base on Alexandra Land began to be discussed back in 2004. The facility has been under construction since 2007, but it was only in 2015 that information about the Arctic Trefoil became available to the press. A unit of the air defense division of the Russian Northern Fleet has been deployed in Alexandra Land since November 2014. It is currently based in temporary structures.
The construction of the Arctic Trefoil was carried out in the difficult climatic conditions of the Arctic desert, all the necessary materials and equipment (tens of thousands of tons) are imported through the Northern Sea Route, which is possible only during the four months of summer navigation.
A military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin, on the air of Sputnik radio, spoke about the goals that Russia is pursuing by placing bases on islands in the Arctic Ocean.
“Russia is placing its bases on the islands and archipelagos of the Arctic Ocean with three goals. First, we control the Northern Sea Route. At the same time, we not only control, but also ensure the passage of ships, ships, icebreakers there. We analyze weather forecasts, ice movement, currents, etc. - in order for vessels with cargo to pass faster from Asia to Europe. The second goal is that we protect our wealth in the waters of the Arctic Ocean - both oil and gas. And the third, in my opinion, the main task - we protect these waters from foreign ships with missile defense systems, with strategic missiles on board. So that they do not threaten our country from the water area of the Arctic Ocean. This is a region that is quite vulnerable for our country in terms of security. We are defending our country,”said Viktor Litovkin.
Recall that the UN commission in early August 2016 began considering Russia's application to expand the boundaries of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. The total area of the territory that Russia claims is 1 million 191 thousand square meters. km. Following the presentation of the application to the UN in February 2016, it was reported that, as a rule, the commission makes its decision within two to four years.
Meanwhile, Canada and Denmark are claiming some of the territories in the Russian application. In addition, Norway and the United States also claim various areas of the Arctic Ocean floor.
The interest of states in the northern seas is dictated by the fact that their depths contain 83 billion tons of standard fuel. About 80% of them are in the Barents and Kara Seas.
In addition, the West suspects that Russia is going to take advantage of the likely coming climate changes as soon as possible, which will turn the ice of the Arctic into an important sea route that provides the country with economic and tactical advantages.
If agreements on the shelf cannot be reached, the Arctic could become a likely place for future wars, the press said. At the same time, it was noted that the Kremlin is much better prepared for open conflict or habitual competition, since Moscow not only owns more than 40 icebreakers, but also conducts the largest military exploration of the Arctic since the Cold War.
As Newsweek magazine wrote, Russia has more Arctic bases than any other country, and it is building new ones, including 13 new airfields and 10 air defense radars in the Arctic, the article says. The United States is deliberately in a losing position - Washington does not have such resources, it has only two old icebreakers that are unable to compete with the Russian Arctic equipment.
At the end of last year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the continuation of the strengthening of the Russian forces in the Arctic. He also noted that the Russian Federation was forced to increase the number of sorties of fighter aircraft by 61% in order to prevent violations of the country's airspace in the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Arctic.
Against the background of the concern expressed by representatives of Western countries in connection with the strengthening of the military presence of the Russian Federation in the Arctic, the Russian authorities insist on the exclusively peaceful nature of activities in the region and the desire to cooperate with other countries. Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier called not to make the Arctic a place "for geopolitical games of military blocs."
In March of this year, President Putin visited the Alexandra Land island of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, where he got acquainted with the results of work to eliminate environmental damage to the Arctic zone, which he announced back in 2011. After that, he reiterated that Russia proceeds from the fact that there is no potential for conflict in the Arctic.
