The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin says the military infrastructure on Novaya Zemlya, Kotelny and Wrangel islands, and Cape Schmidt is to be completed in 2015. According to the transcript of the expanded meeting of the Defence Ministry Board, he noted that the unified strategic command [in the Arctic] was established on December 15, based on the Northern Fleet.
“We have no intention of militarising the Arctic. Our action in the Arctic is restrained and reasonable in scale and is simply in keeping with what Russia unquestionably needs to do to ensure its defence capability”, Putin said.