Russia is planning to increase its presence in the Barents Sea and the Atlantic Ocean this year while also increasing the length of its submarine deployments, according to a recently released Norwegian intelligence report.
Naval forces from the Northern Fleet will keep up their regular schedule of exercises, which includes extended submarine patrols in the Barents Sea and oceanic operations in the Atlantic. According to the report, “the delivery of new silent multi-role submarines increases the fleet’s capacity in the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.”
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the navy currently has six ballistic missile submarines, with one undergoing maintenance and three more currently under construction. The Ministry also reports that there are currently four cruise missile submarines in service, and another three are in production.
The Norwegian report indicated that the Northern Fleet’s aircraft inventory would remain stable and operations would continue as usual. The report also noted that with Russian strategic bombers diverted to the invasion of Ukraine, Norway is likely to see fewer of these aircraft flying in close proximity to its territory.
The defense of military bases in Kola, the northern bastion, and the Barents Sea will become increasingly vital as nuclear weapons and strategic deterrence forces gain prominence.
