Russia, which invaded Ukraine and is accused of trying to destabilize Europe and the Baltic Sea, is taking a more cautious approach in the Arctic, the head of Norwegian intelligence told AFP on Saturday, writes TASR. “In order to achieve their goals, they have to maintain a low-tension strategy in the northern region, so we see them acting professionally and responsibly in the region,” Nils Andreas Stensönes said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
- Russia’s main interests in the Arctic are trade routes, energy and nuclear forces.
- The number of Russian submarines is decreasing, but they are more modern and harder to track.
Many Western countries accuse Russia of destabilizing operations and hybrid warfare, especially in the Baltic Sea, for example by attacking underwater infrastructure. The head of the military intelligence service said that “Russia’s interest in the Arctic is based primarily on three points: they must develop trade routes in the north, build energy infrastructure and ensure the security of their nuclear forces.”
As for submarines, which is one of the strengths of the Russian fleet, “the total number of submarines is slightly decreasing, but they are more efficient, modern, stealthy and difficult to track.”
American president Donald Trump recently justified his intention to have more control over Greenland by saying that the Europeans are not protecting the Arctic from Russian and Chinese activities. However, Stensönes said that China’s navy is not active in the Arctic. “The Chinese are only active in space and cyberspace in the Arctic, we have not seen any other military activity,” he said.
Instead, “we’re seeing an increase in the number of their scientific research ships, mostly in the eastern Arctic. In 2023 they had one such ship in the area, in 2024 they had three, and in 2025 they had five.” The head of Norwegian intelligence added that “we are watching it because Chinese research ships always have a dual use – for scientific purposes, but they can also be used for military purposes.”
