US and NATO Intensify Military Activities in the Arctic: Russia

On Tuesday, Nikolai Korchunov, ambassador-at-large for the Arctic Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, denounced that the United States and other countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are ramping up their military activities in the Arctic.

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"The U.S. and other NATO members, including non-Arctic states, are continuing to intensify military activities in the region," Korchunov said during an international conference in Moscow.

He noted that NATO is increasing the scale and intensity of the military exercises that are being conducted in the region, adding that the alliance has embarked on a course "towards the militarization of the region."

Korchunov said this further demonstrates "the prevalence of confrontation and containment within the approaches of Western Arctic states," as well as their advancement of military scenarios, through which they aim to pursue their interests in the region to the detriment of others. 

On a related security issue, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet escorted three French military planes near the Russian border over the Black Sea. As the Russian Defense Ministry noted, Russian radars over the Black Sea detected three air targets flying towards the Russian state border.

To prevent violation of the state border of the Russian Federation, a Su-27 fighter from the air defense forces on duty was dispatched. The French plans were identified as an E-3F long-range radar detection and control aircraft and two Rafale-C multipurpose fighters of the French air and space forces.

After the Russian fighter jet approached, the foreign military aircraft performed a U-turn from Russia's state border and left the airspace over the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry said, adding that the country's border was not violated.