When Putin first took office as president, he said:
"All my deeds,
Will focus on defending national interests. ”
In the past few days, when the conflict in the Eastern Region of Uzbekistan has become fierce, in the distant and cold Arctic, Russian President Putin has implicitly demonstrated the "muscles" of this northern power, which makes the hearts of american opponents giggle.
First, on April 13, the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General released a report showing the findings of six U.S. military bases in the Arctic and subarctic regions, saying that military bases in those areas had suffered damage such as runway ruptures, sinking foundations and multiple power outages — bases that were not ready to adapt to the long-term effects of climate change.
A few days after the report was released, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said at a meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry that the modernization of the Russian military's Arctic military infrastructure is still continuing, and thanks to the Russian military's mastery of a new communication system, the combat capability of some missiles has been greatly improved.
Russian Defense Minister Shoigu
According to him, the Russian military has built a total of 117 buildings and fortifications in the Arctic last year, and will deliver more than 500 modern weapons to the Northern Fleet in 2022, which will further strengthen its military strength in the Arctic region in the future.
In fact, Russia's strategic advantage in the Arctic has always been outstanding compared to other Arctic countries (the United States, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Canada).
More scholars have pointed out that "Russia has become the country with the firmest determination, the most perfect planning, the most decisive action, the strongest foundation and the most remarkable effect in developing the Arctic."
Russia's ability to achieve these achievements in the Arctic is closely related to Putin's firm determination and precision in implementing the Arctic strategy for many years.
Putin points will
The struggle for sea power has always been a focal point in the Russian-American Arctic game.
The current commander-in-chief of Russia's navy is Nikolai Yevmenov, who took office in May 2019.
Yevmenov
In the Putin era, there were 6 naval commanders-in-chief, and Yevmenov was the first "post-60s". He has dealt with submarines almost all his life and is known as the "submarine man".
Yevmenov was born in 1962. In 1987, at the age of 25, he graduated from the Naval Diving School and was sent to the Pacific Fleet to become commander of the electronic navigation division of the nuclear submarine navigation unit.
Later, he entered the Kuznetsov Naval Academy, the highest school of the Russian Navy, and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the Military Academy of the Russian General Staff) of the High School for the training of senior leading cadres of the Russian Army.
The people who came out of the military academy of the Russian General Staff were all well-known and big figures: Marshal Vasilevsky and Marshal Grechko, former Soviet Defense Ministers, Marshal Zakharov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, Andonov, and so on.
In addition, the academy has trained hundreds of generals for countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, North Korea, Vietnam and Cuba.
From this point of view, Yefmenov's professional background is definitely hard enough, coupled with his long-term work on nuclear submarines, the actual combat experience is also rich enough.
Therefore, when he meets Putin, who knows how to use people well, he has a stage to show his skills.
After Putin came to power, Russia has increased its attention to the Arctic region, from the top-level design, organizational structure, talent team to equipment support, are gradually advancing and improving. In 2017, Sokolov, then Russia's transport minister, said that the development of the Arctic has become one of Russia's national priorities.
In 2017, Putin (center) inspected the Arctic military base.
Yefmenov also ushered in his own era.
This is directly reflected in the position he holds. In 2012, he was appointed First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Northern Fleet and four years later became Commander of the Northern Fleet.
Speaking of the Northern Fleet, it is no ordinary naval combat force group.
Born in the early 1930s, this fleet has grown over the course of nearly a century into the most powerful fleet in the history of the Russian Navy. It is known as the "guardian" of national security, the "defender" of nuclear deterrence, and the "pioneer" of the Arctic region, and is regarded by the outside world as carrying Russia's glory and dream.
Serving as the commander-in-chief of such a fleet shows that Yevmenov has high hopes for Putin.
The "sword" hangs over America's head
In 2016, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said this at a ceremony to present Yevmenov with a military flag:
"Vice Admiral Yefmenov has extensive experience in accomplishing complex and important strategic command tasks and will give full play to his comprehensive knowledge and high degree of professionalism in his new post."
Yefmenov did live up to expectations.
In May 2018, the Northern Fleet was equipped with 41 submarines, including 8 nuclear submarines equipped with ballistic missiles and 4 nuclear submarines equipped with cruise missiles.
In the same year, the Northern Fleet resumed regular cruising in the Arctic. Yefmenov promised at the time that he would continue to improve the combat capabilities and equipment level of troops deployed on the Arctic islands, and the Arctic region would remain a priority for the strategic command of the Northern Fleet.
Yevmenov's painstaking management has also been recognized by Putin.
On June 6, 2020, with the signing of a decree by Putin, from January 1, 2021, the Northern Fleet was officially upgraded to a military district-level unit (the fifth military region of Russia after the Western, Southern, Central and Eastern Military Regions), becoming an independent military administrative unit with the authority to command and move troops across the services, including the Komi Republic, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Murmansk Oblast and Nenets Autonomous Region.
This set a precedent for Russia to form a military district based on a single service. For this adjustment, some foreign media believe that Russia aims to balance Western strategic provocations from both the Arctic and the Atlantic.
Judging from the situation in the year of implementation (2021), Russia has basically achieved this goal.
In 2021, the "Grand Duke Vladimir" and "Kazan" nuclear submarines have also been included in the Northern Fleet -
According to public information, the Grand Duke Vladimir can carry 16 Brava ICBMs.
The missile has a range of up to 8,000 kilometers and can carry 6-10 sub-warheads per missile. In addition, the submarine has lower noise, deeper diving depth, and a more complete operating and weapon system.
The first ship of the Yasen-M class, the Kazan, can carry mines, torpedoes, cruise missiles and other weapons, and can perform anti-submarine, anti-ship, land attack and strategic strike missions.
In this regard, the US "National Interest" magazine once wrote that this is the most terrible Christmas gift that Russia gave to the West.
Dave Johnson, a program executive at the U.S. Naval Systems Command, is said to have even placed a model of an Yasen-class nuclear submarine on his desk to remind himself of it from time to time.
At this time, it had been nearly 2 years since Yefmenov was promoted to commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy.
On March 26, 2021, the Russian military conducted a military exercise in the Arctic, and three nuclear-powered submarines broke through the ice at the same time at a designated time and place, which was also the first time in the history of the Russian Navy. After listening to Yevmenov's report, Putin said that the high combat performance of domestic weapons has been confirmed.
The "sword" hanging over the heads of the United States and NATO has swung again. Perhaps at that moment, Putin thought, Yevmenov was the right person.
Step by step
Putin is not the first Russian to "care deeply" for the Arctic.
In the history of Russia, many leaders have carried out organized scientific expeditions to the Arctic, including the establishment of professional expeditions, the establishment of inspection sites, and the arrival of scientific expedition team members in icebreakers to the North Pole many times.
These actions all demonstrate the importance that Russians attach to the Arctic.
Not only the Russians, but other countries have also taken note of the arctic region, which is rich in energy and mineral resources.
Factors such as the strange international relations, as well as the increased accessibility of the Arctic brought about by global warming and melting glaciers, have made the value of the region more and more obvious in terms of geography, energy, and shipping routes, and military competition has become increasingly fierce.
Russia is one of the first countries to explore and develop the Arctic region, and Putin has inherited the legacy of his predecessors in a relatively complete way, constantly checking for omissions and filling in the gaps, and taking it step by step.
In terms of top-level design, since 2008, Russia has issued a series of documents -
Principles and Long-term Plans for State Policy in the Arctic Region of the Russian Federation by 2020
· Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Region of the Russian Federation and National Security Guarantees for the Year 2020
National Outline for Socio-Economic Development of the Arctic Region of the Russian Federation to the End of 2020
Basic Policy of the Arctic States of the Russian Federation until 2035
· Strategy for the Development and National Security guarantee of the Arctic Region of the Russian Federation until 2035
In this way, the basic framework of the Arctic strategy is constructed, and the Arctic strategy is integrated into the national security strategy system and prioritized.
In terms of organizational structure, Russia has been organizing international conferences on Arctic affairs since 2011. Three years later, the then Northern Fleet was separated from the Western Military District and reorganized into the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command, directly under the direction of the Minister of Defense.
In 2015, Russia established a dedicated Arctic Development Committee. In 2019, Putin signed a presidential decree establishing the Ministry of Development for the Far East and the Arctic.
Two years later, some Russian media said that the Russian Navy may form a new force, the Arctic Fleet, to ensure the safety of the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic coast in the "Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet Area of Responsibility"...
The purpose of these russian measures is to effectively integrate its military resources, coordinate the interests of all parties, and form its military superiority in the Arctic region.
In addition, Putin has not forgotten the construction and maintenance of military facilities such as bases and ports, and military exercises and soldier training have not slackened -
As early as April 26, 2020, Russian airborne troops successfully carried out a 10,000-meter high-altitude parachute drill in the Franz Josef Islands area of the Arctic. At that time, it was reported that the airborne troops landed safely at the target location, and their "main forces" also landed from a height of 2,000 meters, and armored vehicles and other materials were successfully airdropped from an altitude of 1,800 meters.
The combat capability and equipment level of the Russian army in the alpine and oxygen-deficient areas can be seen.
At the heart of Russia's Arctic strategy is the priority direction of Russia's national security strategy as a priority direction for Russia's national security strategy and as a strategic and energy base for the 21st century.
Just last week, Putin noted that Russia's Arctic project cannot be delayed despite the sanctions.
More than 20 years ago, when he first became president, he said: "All my actions will be based on defending the national interest." ”
Screenshot of the video of Putin's speech.
Today, he has practiced this sentence.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Qin Hong Text Editor: Song Hui Caption Source: IC photo Image Editor: Zi Xi
Source: Author: Global People