Russia Bolsters Its Northern Fleet With Siberian Husky Squad

Moscow has added a Siberian husky team to its Arctic brigade. (Moscow Times)

On November 13, the Moscow Times gave readers a glimpse of the Siberian husky sled dog team recently added to the Russian Armed Forces’ Arctic brigade. The piece, which features images of the blue-eyed “puppies and several fully grown Siberian huskies,” explains how the Northern Fleet, the Russian Navy’s Arctic strategic association, is training Huskies and soldiers to use sleds in their operations.

The dogs and soldiers are stationed in the Arctic in order to “safeguard Russian interests,” which include sizeable reserves of natural resources such as oil and gas. Although the addition of sled dogs to the Fleet is a light-hearted homage to the traditional use of Huskies in the Russian military, the article assures readers that the soldiers are “outfitted with modern military equipment.”

Russian promotion of the Northern Fleet’s recent modernization is timely, especially as the Arctic brigade has added more than dogs to their arsenal. The Russian Navy is actively investing in the Northern Fleet’s development. It has recently gained advanced surface ships dedicated to traversing the Arctic’s frozen waters, National Interest reports. It is also modernizing its submarine forces with enhanced target acquisition and communication abilities. 

The modernization of Russia’s Arctic forces is part of a larger effort to strengthen the country’s presence in the area. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized this prioritization in his Arctic Strategy statements in 2008 and 2013. In recent years, the Moscow Times reports that Russia has “heavily bolstered” its presence in the region, building new bases and increasing arctic training for the air force and navy. Russia’s prioritization of the Arctic stems from the growing prominence of the region as a strategic location. 

According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the Arctic’s strategic importance has increased due to the effects of climate change. Melting Arctic waterways will create more navegable paths for ships, making the Arctic a viable region for commerce, transportation, and resource extraction. Access to the Arctic seas shortens shipping routes between Asia and Europe. Whoever commands the Northern Sea Route will “capitalize on increased traffic in the Arctic,” Maritime Executive explains. The Arctic also holds large oil and gas reserves that can be exploited as the ice melts. Within the Arctic’s economic potential lies the rationale for Russian naval interests in the region. 

Russia’s growing military strength in the Arctic challenges the status-quo in the region set by NATO and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The current precedent maintains that all nations get a piece of the pie: among the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Iceland, the Arctic is a “global commons.” However, Maritime Executive argues that Putin’s Arctic naval efforts signal that Russia wants “more than it receives under UNCLOS.”

Even though many experts have dismissed the likelihood of armed aggression in the Arctic as far-fetched, CFR reports that tension over Arctic resources and military buildup between Russia and the NATO alliance could potentially prime the Arctic for a new Cold War.