MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The new fleet of military icebreakers will also likely include ice-class ships capable of carrying artillery and missile weaponry, the newspaper said on Friday.
Also in June, the lead icebreaker of Project 21180, the Ilya Muromets, was launched at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg. It is the first icebreaker constructed for the Russian Navy in the last 45 years, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
In 2013, Moscow announced a strategy to increase its presence in the Arctic and to boost the region's development by 2020. In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a revised maritime doctrine prioritizing the protection of national interests in the Arctic.
The Arctic is considered a major source of hydrocarbons, minerals, fresh water and fish. The region's resources are a matter of interest for states bordering the area as well as Arctic Council members, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
