Secret drills in Arctic: Britain preparing for possible war with Russia
Photo: Britain prepares for a possible war with Russia (Getty Images)
Britain and its northern allies are modelling scenarios of a possible escalation from Russia deep inside a Norwegian mountain, Politico reports.
In Bodø, in northern Norway, half a mile inside a mountain, British troops together with their allies are practising their response in the event of a new surge in Russian aggression.
According to the outlet, the exercises are taking place in a strategic area between the sea and the snow-covered peaks of the Arctic Circle. Here, planners model situations that could arise if Moscow steps up hostile activity near the borders of allied states.
The drills involve working through a scenario set one year after a notional ceasefire in Ukraine and include a comprehensive simulation: from detecting pro-Russian unrest in neighbouring countries to analysing scattered intelligence and information from social media.
Defense ministers and generals are invited to make decisions in conditions as close as possible to real crisis situations.
These exercises are not purely theoretical. In recent years, Europe has faced a growing number of incidents: an unidentified attack on an undersea cable in the Baltic Sea, Russian drones and aircraft violating NATO airspace, and active manoeuvres by Russian ships near British waters.
All this heightens attention to the vulnerability of the so-called High North.
After the occupation of Crimea in 2014, the United Kingdom created the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) — an alliance of ten countries focused on countering threats in the northern region.
Today, JEF faces the question of whether it can operate effectively amid Russia’s changing tactics and the United States’ weakened focus on European security under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Climate change is also making the Arctic more dangerous: melting ice is opening new routes and fuelling competition for access to natural resources, drawing in not only Russia but also China and the United States.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey emphasised during the exercises that the countries of Northern Europe face Russian aggression every day, and therefore understand the risks best and can respond quickly. One of JEF’s advantages is the speed of decision-making — unlike NATO, which requires the consent of all 32 members to act.
Recently, UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated that US President Donald Trump has the potential to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin peace negotiations on Ukraine.
This statement came after Trump imposed new sanctions on the Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.
