Russia Warns NATO of ‘Unintended Incidents’ Over Its Arctic Military Activity

By Staff, Agencies

Russia raised concerns about the increased military activity of the US-led NATO alliance in the Arctic, fearing risks of “unintended incidents” occurring in the region.

Russian ambassador-at-large for Arctic cooperation, Nikolai Korchunov, was quoted by the TASS news agency on Sunday as saying that the alliance’s military activity in the Arctic was a “cause for concern.”

“Another large-scale military exercise of the alliance was recently held in northern Norway. In our view, this does not contribute to the security of the region,” he said.

The senior Russian diplomat was referring to NATO’s latest military drill, dubbed ‘Cold Response 2022’, which began on March 14 and lasted for two weeks.

It was the NATO’s largest exercise in the Arctic in more than three decades, held across Norway – on land, in the air, and at sea – with the participation of 30,000 troops from 27 countries.

Korchunov emphasized that such activity raised the risk of “unintended incidents” that may also lead to security risks, and cause serious damage to the fragile Arctic ecosystem.

He, however, did not elaborate on the incidents he referred to.

“The internationalization of the alliance’s military activities in the high latitudes, in which the non-Arctic NATO States are involved, cannot but be a cause for concern”, he asserted.

Korchunov said the drill marked the largest military maneuvers led by Norway since the 1980s and included NATO partners such as Finland and Sweden.

The probable entry of Sweden and Finland into the NATO military alliance, he warned, could have a negative impact on security and mutual trust in the Arctic region.