Weapons shipped to new garrison in Arctic Russia
Ships deliver 175 units of weaponry to the new air defense base in Tiksi.
Construction works have been going on hectically on the coast of the remote Laptev Sea as Russia’s Northern Fleet has strived to complete its newest Arctic base.
The establishment of the garrison in Tiksi was announced by then Northern Fleet Head Commander Nikolay Yevmenov in September 2018. In a meeting with regional authorities, Yevmenov promised that the base would be built in the record-short period of only six months.
By late January this year, Yevmenov informed that the base was “95 percent complete”.
The complex includes 11 objects, among them a dormitory, an administrative building, a diesel-run power station, water and fuel reservoirs, cantina, garages and more. All the buildings are interconnected with each other, enabling easy passage between the facilities. Similar base complexes have previously been built in the archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and the New Siberian Islands.
Yevmenov in May this year rose to Head Commander of the whole Russian Navy.
The new base in Tiksi is now being equipped with weaponry.
In late July, two ships arrived in Tiksi to deliver the first pieces of weapons and military equipment. Among these ships was the nuclear-powered container ship Sevmorput, the powerful 260 meter-long, 33,980-ton deadweight vessel, the Russian Armed Forces inform.
The Sevmorput reportedly delivered 85 units of equipment to site. Later, the Valery Vasiliev put ashore another 90 units in addition to various construction materials and other goods.
The 135-meter-long Valeri Vasiliev is owned and managed by Vladivostok-registered company AZSCO.
The new Tiksi garrison is reported to house 100 soldiers and be part of the Northern Fleet’s 45th Army. It will include anti-air forces, among them radio-technical and anti-aircraft units.
Tiksi is located on 71 degrees north, where the great river Lena runs into the Arctic Ocean. It has a population of about 4,600 people.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canada’s 2019 budget slim on hard power Arctic commitments, experts say, Radio Canada International
Finland: Finland’s new defence chief says country likely to reduce participation in international drills, Yle News
Norway: NATO’s Arctic dilemma: Two visions of the Arctic collide as NATO and Russia flex muscles, Eye on the Arctic special report
Russia: Inside Russia’s rapid Arctic expansion, CBC News
Sweden: Sweden wants to rebuild its “total defence” system, Radio Sweden
United States: China, Russia singled out in new U.S. Arctic defense strategy, Eye on the Arctic
