MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's defense minister says the military will deploy two army brigades to help protect the nation's interests in the Arctic. Anatoly Serdyukov says his ministry is working out specifics, such as troops numbers, weapons and bases, but a brigade includes a few thousand soldiers. Serdyukov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Friday the brigades could be based in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk or other areas. Russia, the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway have been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, believed to hold up to a quarter of the Earth's undiscovered oil and gas. On Thursday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia "remains open for dialogue" with its polar neighbors, but will "strongly and persistently" defend its interests in the region.

In May Commander of the Russian Ground Forces Aleksander Postnikov took a three-day long trip to military camps on the Kola Peninsula, next to the borders of Finland and Norway. A spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry said that the first soldiers to be sent would be special forces troops specially equipped and prepared for military warfare in Arctic conditions.

Late last year Russia delineated new Arctic borders with Norway and agreed to ease frontier controls in the hope of further cooperation in oil and gas exploration. Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) runs two major gas projects in the Arctic, including one with Statoil (STL.OL), while state-run oil major Rosneft (ROSN.MM) and BP (BP.L) operate at three Kara Sea fields.

Originally posted by EyeHeartBigfoot

Originally posted by UtahRosebud
Already posted. Don't be afraid to use search. It really is your friend.

ATS Thread - Russia to deploy....

Typed in RUSSIA ARCTIC ARMY into the ATS Search Engine to no avail.

So Just Like A Typical Rude Comment From A Complete @$$, It Seems It Is Not Being All That Friendly.

Another ATS Thread For A-H@LE$ To Mock