ANALIZAWIADOMOŚCI Russian military presence in the Arctic: interests, infrastructure and capabilities [PART 1] Aleksander Olech, Karolina Kisiel The main parade of Northern Fleet ships in SeveromorskPhoto. AdRussia is constantly strengthening its Arctic military presence, aiming to secure northern territories, develop the region economically, and maintain nuclear deterrence capabilities. These actions have met with a response from the United States and NATO countries – particularly Sweden and Finland, which brought significant Arctic capabilities to the Alliance. Consequently, an armed conflict in the Arctic region – though still far from actual materialisation – is becoming an increasingly likely scenario. Russian Arctic infrastructure and combat capabilitiesBy strengthening its military presence, Russia is focusing, among other things, on modernising the Northern Fleet and expanding infrastructure.