Russian President Vladimir Putin shows off a massive base called Trefoil in Franz Josef land in the Arctic. The $30 trillion military base was recently visited by Putin, and is intended to project Russian dominance of the Arctic, especially to the United States under Trump.
The Trefoil is a massive facility with a lot of secrets underneath
The Russian military base is a 14,000 sq./m facility that can house 150 personnel, an arsenal of missiles and a fleet of nuclear-ready jet planes. The base is made to withstand the harsh Arctic climate as temperatures normally drop to -50 degrees Celsius.
Putin arrived at the said base and inspected the area. Though most of the base are restricted, the massive size of the area speaks for itself. With this base, Russian coverage of the Arctic circle is sweeping and can effectively limit the US influence in the area.
Russian soldiers are trained to fight in the cold with reindeers
The base also houses a cavalry of reindeer, which Russian soldiers use to traverse the snow-covered landscape quickly. Like Christmas snow sleds, Russian spec-ops will deliver not gifts but a swift precise strike on specified targets. CNN and other press outlets also point out the possibility of the base to hold nuclear weapons and other long-range ordinance systems.
Russia prides itself on having soldiers that are able to withstand operations in inhospitable terrain like the Arctic.
For centuries, Russian soldiers are trained to cope with the harsh Siberian winter, which is among the coldest in the world.
How Will the US respond to Putin’s Arctic stronghold?
After Russia’s increasing presence in the Arctic circle, especially with Russian bombers “pinging” US defenses in Alaska, the Pentagon has no official statement over this issue.
Military analysts have pointed out Putin’s intention and that is to secure the oil and gas reserves that are under the ice sheets, which is estimated to worth $30 trillion.
At the moment, Russia has more Arctic bases and dozens ice breakers to America’s solitary ice breaker, which isn’t active. This shows the disparity of influence in the Arctic, which will someday be a place of high competition over natural resources.
As global warming continues to melt the Ice caps, these oil fields will become accessible in the near future and Putin wants Russia to have strong dominion over the entire area. Thule Airbase is the US counterpart in the Arctic circle and It is America’s defense against Russia completely owning the place.
