Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has accused Russia of militarizing the region

Germany will send navy ships to patrol Arctic waters in response to Russia's growing military presence in the region, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Monday. Russia has insisted that it is mirroring NATO moves in the far north to maintain balance.

Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Moscow is closely monitoring the situation in the region and is implementing an appropriate response strategy to potential encroachments on the country's sovereignty. Russia's Arctic coastline stretches over 24,000km.

"As early as this year, Germany will show its presence in the North Atlantic and the Arctic," Pistorius said at a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart, Troels Lund Poulsen, in Copenhagen.

The minister added that the deployment operation, dubbed 'Atlantic Bear', would come in response to mounting maritime threats, claiming "Russia is militarizing the Arctic."

Pistorius specified that one of Germany's support ships would "go from Iceland to Greenland and then on to Canada" to take part in joint military drills with NATO allies, including Denmark, Norway, and Canada.

"In addition, we will deploy our maritime patrol aircraft, submarines, and frigates to demonstrate our commitment to that region," he added.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in April that members of the US-led military bloc are "working together" in the Arctic to "defend this part of NATO territory."

The Kremlin has insisted that NATO's continuing militarization of the region is unwarranted, and that Russia will mirror the moves taken by the bloc.

In March, Putin reiterated that Moscow is "concerned by the fact that NATO countries as a whole are more frequently designating the far north as a bridgehead for possible conflicts."

"I would like to emphasize that Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic," the Russian president said. He stressed, however, that Moscow would "reliably protect" its interests in the region by reinforcing its military contingent in response to Western actions.

(RT.com)