Russia's defence minister inspects military preparedness in the Arctic

Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday (August 12) that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected Russian troop and military preparedness in the Arctic " "to defend specially important installations" in this strategic zone.

The statement from the ministry said that Shoigu was accompanied by Alexey Likhachev, who is the head of state nuclear company Rosatom. Shoigu visited Novaya Zemlya which is in Russia's extreme north.

The defence minister also inspected a testing site for nuclear weapons used during the Soviet era, where "advanced tests for military weapons and equipment" were taking place, the defence ministry said, without giving details.

Ukraine has launched its highly anticipated push in June after stockpiling Western weapons. However, it has struggled to make any major gains in the face of stiff Russian resistance.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 last year. It had already strengthened its military presence in the Arctic before the commencement of what it calls 'special military operation' in Ukraine.

Russia has rehabilitated Soviet-era bases and deployed weapons and anti-aerial S-400 systems in the region, which has vast reserves of hydrocarbons and can serve as a major maritime route between Europe and Asia due to global warming and melting glaciers.

Two countries in this region - Finland and Sweden - grown close to the western military alliance NATO. Russia views such developments as threat to its security.

Finland joined the alliance in April and Sweden is expected to be formally admitted in the coming months.

Russia meanwhile said on Saturday that it shot down 20 unmanned drone sent by Ukraine near the Crimean peninsula. According to information released by the Russian defence ministry on Telegram, 14 drones were shot down by Russian air defence systems. Six more drones were shot down using electronic warfare.

There were no casualties or damage, said the ministry.

Governor of Kaluga region, about 150 kilometres southwest of Moscow said that a drone was also intercepted in the region.

On Friday officials in Moscow said that they had destroyed a drone that was targetting the Russian capital. The attack was latest in series of attacks on Moscow in recent days.

In July, Ukrainian drone strikes on Crimea blew up an ammunition depot and damaged the bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the peninsula to Russia's mainland.

Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014.

In Ukraine, Russian attacks on Saturday killed a policeman and injured 12 other people in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

A man was also killed in the Kharkiv region, according to local authorities.

(With inputs from agencies)

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