Sergey Shoigu checked on units stationed on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago and a major testing ground in the area
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has paid a visit to the country’s military outposts in the Arctic, inspecting Northern Fleet garrisons that guard a key shipping route in the region.
In a post on its Telegram channel on Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Shoigu had checked the combat readiness and living conditions of the forces stationed on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. According to the statement, the minister flew over the central testing ground in a helicopter with the head of Rosatom nuclear energy agency, Alexey Likhachev.
The Soviet Union conducted a large number of nuclear blasts at the location during the course of the Cold War. The testing ground is currently used for trials of “promising models of weapons and military hardware,” the ministry said.
The minister got a glimpse of the housing conditions of military personnel on the northern islands, as well as the local school and kindergarten.
In a follow-up post on Telegram, the ministry explained that Russia’s Northern Fleet ensures the security of the Northern Sea Route, with several navy vessels currently at sea.
A group of MiG-31 fighter jets also cover the airspace over Russia’s territorial waters in the Arctic Ocean, while radio-technical forces are used to monitor any air traffic in the region.
