Belyaev said NATO, through the efforts of the United States and its allies, is increasing its presence in high latitudes, including near Russia's borders.
"In the Extreme North, the number of large-scale exercises and maneuvers conducted by the alliance is steadily growing; in recent years Finland and Sweden have been increasingly involved in them, despite the policy of military non-alignment pursued by these states until recently," he said.
"Russia is taking and will continue to take all the necessary measures to ensure national interests and strengthen the defense capability in the Arctic, a strategic region for our country. Political, economic and military-technical measures. With time, their specific content will become known," Belyaev said.
6 September 2022, 01:49 GMT
NATO, formed in 1949, was in large part established to counteract the perceived threat the Soviet Union posed to the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. Originally, NATO consisted of 12 members but has grown to include 30 nations. Finland and Sweden are expected to become the 31st and 32nd members of the alliance.
With the admittance of Finland, outside of Russia every nation that borders the Arctic will be a NATO member. Russia's Arctic coastline is 24,140 kilometers.