Russia reinforces air defense division in Arctic.

The Russian Defense Ministry continues reinforcing the air defense of the Northern fleet in the Arctic. The Izvestia daily said the final third stage of the construction of the base for the 3rd air defense division of the 45th air force and defense army of the fleet will cost one billion rubles and has to be completed in 2023.

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S-300PS (Picture source: mil.ru)

A total of 3 billion rubles are earmarked for air defense infrastructure in Tiksi settlement in Yakutia. Two billion have been already invested. The construction of the base in Tiksi is divided into several stages and a part of the work has been done. Residential, combat and technical air defense facilities have been constructed.

It was reported in January 2019 that the construction of a block-modular township in Tiksi on the coast of the Laptev Sea for air defense units of the Northern fleet was completed 95 percent. The township comprises 11 objects, including a dormitory, administration building, a diesel power plant, fuel and water storages, a canteen, garage, etc. All the objects are connected by covered walkways, which is vital in the Arctic. At the time of the report, power, heat, water supplies and discharge were made.

It was reported in July 2019 that the air defense division in Tiksi had received 170 hardware units. “The Tiksi garrison of the Northern fleet received a batch of construction materials and over 170 units of arms and hardware,” the Defense Ministry said. In particular, the Sevmorput LASH-ship delivered 85 hardware units to Tiksi from Arkhangelsk.

The reconstruction of Tiksi seaport will increase the security in the Arctic and of the Northern Sea Route, Northern fleet Commander Admiral Alexander Moiseev said in December 2019. “In the framework of the Arctic state policy and in order to fulfill the instruction of the president to develop the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic coast, Tiksi seaport will be reconstructed in 2022 and the seaport of Dikson by 2025. It will help rapidly react to any potential threat to safe navigation along the Northern Sea Route,” he said.

Moiseev said new air defense units went on combat duty in Tiksi to ensure the security of the airspace over the Northern Sea Route.

In December 2020, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the second line of the military township for 300 men had been launched in Tiksi. In February 2021, new container petrol filling stations, which need no buried reservoirs, were set up in Tiksi. They are powered by own generating sources or general electric networks.

Open sources said the antiaircraft missile regiment in Tiksi is armed with S-300PS launchers. They currently defend the airfield, and the regiment is likely to be rearmed with a bigger number of new launchers in the coming years.

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