MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. The next stage of Arctic militarization will likely involve the expansion of nuclear military infrastructure across the region and the emergence of a nuclear belt along Russia’s northern borders, encompassing Northern Europe and Greenland, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the RANEPA Institute of Law and National Security, told TASS.

He was commenting on the European Commission’s new Arctic strategy, which, for the first time in more than 30 years, places primary emphasis on military development.

According to Stepanov, the EU’s formal adoption of a militarization agenda, driven in part by efforts to exploit the Arctic’s natural resources, will entail a strengthening of NATO’s northern flank. This trend aligns with the strategic priorities of Northern Europe’s military-industrial complexes, Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO, and the designation of the Baltic and North seas as priority areas for Europe’s geo-economic and military presence.

"The next step will most likely be the ‘nuclearization’ of the Arctic, specifically through the expansion of nuclear military infrastructure into the region. I envisage a ‘nuclear arc’ stretching from the Baltic Sea to the northern seas. A nuclear belt is taking shape in the areas adjacent to the Arctic along Russia’s borders, encompassing Northern Europe and Greenland, which has recently de facto legalized an expanded US military presence. This will likely involve the deployment of nuclear-capable assets, including US strategic bombers and nuclear-powered submarines," Stepanov said.

He noted that the necessary legal frameworks are already being prepared in several countries. In Finland, steps are being taken to remove restrictions on the potential deployment of nuclear weapons, effectively reversing a policy that had been in place since 1987. A similar trend is evident in Sweden, where the country’s leadership has signaled a possible willingness to host nuclear weapons. Lithuania, meanwhile, has removed restrictions at the constitutional level, effectively opening the way for the deployment of nuclear arsenals.

"The Arctic is becoming a key area of interest not only for the United States but also for the European Union, which urgently needs access to hydrocarbons and rare-earth metals. This creates additional threats to the peaceful development of the Arctic and to the maritime trade routes that are vital to Russia," Stepanov concluded.