Russian Sub Crosses under Arctic Ice

[u-5075]

http://www.kommersant.com/p-13312/Russi ... es_Arctic/

Sub Crosses under Arctic Ice

The Russian atomic submarine Ryazan has travelled from the Northern Fleet under the ice of the Arctic to join the Pacific Fleet without coming up to the surface. Aide to the chief commander of the Russian naval fleet Igor Dygalo said that missile-carrying submarine arrived at the pier of the Pacific Fleet base at Vilyuchinsk, Kamchatka, today at about 4]www.kommersant[/url]

[u-5075]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... fer=canada

Nuclear Sub Sails

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... fer=canada

Nuclear Sub Sails Under Arctic Ice as Russia Asserts Its Power

By Lyubov Pronina

Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- A Russian nuclear submarine completed a month-long mission under the Arctic ice as Russia reasserts its military power in the region.

The submarine Ryazan of Russia's Northern Fleet arrived today at the Vilyuchinsk base on the Kamchatka peninsula after sailing for more than 30 days without surfacing, the navy said today in a faxed statement.

``Russia's submariners haven't lost the skill of making long sub-ice voyages, and they gave a worthy confirmation of the quality of our national school of fulfilling complex missions in Arctic waters,'' Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky, head of the navy, said in the statement.

In the last year, Russia has conducted large-scale war games in the Arctic, including long-range bombers, beefing up its military presence as it tries to claim the region's vast resources. On Sept. 17, President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia's ``main task'' is to turn the Arctic into a ``resource base.''

Russia is jockeying for Arctic territory with the U.S., Canada, Norway and Denmark, which all have territorial claims in the region. Russian explorers planted a flag on the Arctic seabed directly beneath the North Pole last year, symbolically staking a claim to an area that may hold 10 billion tons of oil equivalent, as well as deposits of gold, nickel and diamonds, according to the Russian government.

Russia claims 18 percent of the Arctic region, which touches on 20,000 kilometers (12,000 miles) of the country's border, according to Nikolai Patrushev, head of the Security Council. The government will draft a development plan for the area by Dec. 1.

The mission also comes after Medvedev called for Russia's nuclear deterrent to be upgraded within 12 years, including the construction of more nuclear submarines. Wrapping up a visit to Russia's Far East last week, Medvedev said the country must boost its military presence there, reviving a policy abandoned after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

To contact the reporter on this story]lpronina@bloomberg.net[/url]