Norway’s defence minister looks at one of his favourite maps – it shows the world from the perspective of the Arctic. Nearly all Arctic states, Russia included, cut back on their military presence after the end of the Cold War, closing bases. Today Moscow has more than 40 military facilities along the Arctic coast, including military bases, airfields, radar stations and ports. A senior Nordic official said the US depended on this intelligence, saying: “It’s definitely a two-way street. “The actual force presence in Arctic military sites has gone down as some of the Arctic brigades were deployed to Ukraine and sustained heavy losses,” Ditrych said.

Source: The Irish Times January 28, 2026 08:09 UTC