The appearance of the Russian combat icebreaker Ivan Papanin armed with Kalibr cruise missiles in the Russian Arctic will help ensure strategic deterrence, Vasily Kashin, a political scientist, director of the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics told the Izvestia newspaper.
According to the expert, the Northern Sea Route that the icebreaker will patrol is important for Russia from both economic and military points of view. Therefore, the weakening of military presence in the region is fraught with the loss of strategic deterrence capabilities.
"There are large amounts of mineral resources being developed in the Arctic. The Northern Sea Route is important from the point of view of the development of the fleet and the reliability of the country's defence from the northern direction. We support and develop infrastructure to ensure the strategic security of the country there,” the political scientist said.
It was earlier reported that the Russian Defence Ministry plans to strengthen the defence of the Northern Sea Route with the help of the Ivan Papanin combat icebreaker. The icebreaker is believed to ensure the operation of Russian warships in difficult conditions.
The ship's arsenal includes an AK-176MA 76.2-mm artillery mount and man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems. Additionally, the ship can be equipped with machine gun mounts and container launchers with Kalibr missiles.