MOSCOW. Dec 21 (Interfax) - Russia is developing its contingent in the Arctic and has streamlined the rules for foreign warships' passage by the Northern Sea Route, Russian General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov said.
"We are consistently developing the contingent in the Arctic and are creating and upgrading the infrastructure necessary for its operations," Gerasimov said at a briefing for foreign military attaches on Thursday.
"Additional efforts were made to streamline the rules for foreign warships' passage by the Northern Sea Route. Such navigation rules were amended in June of this year," he said.
Russia is doing this at a time when the United States and NATO "have focused their efforts on the provision of dominance in the Arctic and the deterrence of the Russian Federation in the region," Gerasimov said.
"In order to do that, the collective West is building up military presence in the Arctic and developing military infrastructure near the Russian borders. The conflict potential in the region is increasing as a result," he said.
"The territories of Finland and Sweden are being increasingly used for deployment of NATO contingents and their rapid enlargement in the areas bordering Russia," Gerasimov said.