VLADIMIR Putin has re-opened Bond-villain style military bases deep inside the Arctic Circle to reinforce his grip of the resource rich frozen wastelands.
Defence chiefs also warn the Kremlin’s submarine manoeuvres have reached “Cold War levels” as the warmongering leader feels threatened by the melting polar ice caps in their northern territory.
Britain will start flying submarine hunting spy planes to keep an eye on Mad Vlad’s underwater fleet.
Nine new P-8A’s will be sent to the region to work with other Arctic allies to keep tabs on the Russian Navy.
Their deployment is part of Britain’s new “High North Strategy” which has been revealed by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace from 200 miles within the Arctic Circle.
He warns global conflicts could “spill into the region” as Russia and China compete with Allies for gas, oil and rare minerals.
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Revealing the strategy from Bardufoss, Norway, he said: “Melting sea ice in the Arctic brings both opportunities and threats, with Russia taking an increasingly militarised approach to the region.”
China is also looking to open more trade routes as the ice flows melt away opening up the seas to massive container ships.
Mr Wallace adds: “As the region becomes increasingly accessible, threats from elsewhere around the globe could spill over into the Arctic.”
Britain has vowed to “contest malign and destabilising behaviours” by the likes of Russia and China in the region.
And more Royal Navy ships will be sent out on patrol in the Arctic, conducting more operations in the “High North” with Nato allies.
The Army will also expand its cold weather training in the region.
The strategy reveals the Kremlin have been slowly militarising the frozen north over the last 15 years by reopening shut Soviet era bases and investing in military tech that can withstand the sub-zero conditions.
Putin has reopened the Franz Josef Land facility, rebuilding it in 2015, with it becoming fully operational in 2018, while the Kotelny Island naval base was reopened in 2016.
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Defence experts believe the bases are operational to protect Russia for now, with the paper warning: “Russia views the Arctic as strategically important, and is sensitive to the risks associated with reduced sea ice cover on its northern flank.”
It adds: “Over the last fifteen years, Russia has increasingly militarised its Arctic territory: it has steadily increased military activity in the region and invested in military infrastructure there, establishing a new Northern Joint Strategic Command, reopening Cold War-era bases above the Arctic Circle and investing further in Arctic capable equipment.”
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