MOSCOW. Jan 16 (Interfax) - The Russian Defense Ministry is creating two new coastal defense units to provide safety for parts of the Northern Sea Route, the Izvestia newspaper said on Monday.
"A principled decision to form new coastal units has already been made. Their organizational and staff structure is now being developed. When necessary, the units will be able to go on missions to provide anti-amphibious, anti-sabotage and air defense for Russia's Arctic areas in the western and Far Eastern parts of the Northern Sea Route. Also, on a number of issues of the inter-departmental level the new coastal defense units will cooperate with territorial branches of the Interior Ministry, National Guard and Border Service," the Defense Ministry told the newspaper.
Plans to create the new units do not amount to an Arctic military buildup, the defense representative said.
"This is part of the important work of overall development of the Arctic zone along the Northern Sea Route which today includes over 70 major points and ports on Russian territory. The length of the Route is 5,600 kilometers. So a major overall work is underway to provide normal conditions for its use, including its safe functioning," he said.
According to the ministry, the new military units will be at least division-level, with one of them to be deployed on the Kola Peninsula at the base of the Northern Fleet coastal troops.
Currently, Russia has only one coastal defense unit, the 126th brigade, deployed in Crimea, the newspaper said. Last August the Defense Ministry also announced the creation of a new division to provide defense in the Chukotka region.