Contradictions in Arctic regions: Yury Morozov, Representative of the Russian government.
Channel: Nils Lundgren
Date: 2011-08-17

©Nils Lundgren, +46730398823
Yury Morozov, Representative of the Russian government, Colonel in the Russian army, military adviser in Afghanistan, the Balkans and Georgia.
Professor at the Institute in Moscow, and an expert on Arctic and Central Asia Policy. 
Speech at a seminar arranged July 2011, by Ofog & Warstartshere in Luleå.
Quotations: "NATO is the military-political organization which is step by step closing down to Russian borders. And that fact creates the threat to the Russian national security. 
The USA and NATO already have left forward from Russia in creation of some kinds and systems of arms. And the total strength of the Russian Forces in Europe today is less than the Soviet troop strength in Germany during the Cold War, and Russia is spending more on defense today but that is 8% of the Pentagon's budget. "

"The main aim of any military block is preparation for carrying out the use of military actions as the object consolidating necessity of such preparation also lies. 
If to look at a map of the North of a planet, except Russia, to choose such object there is nobody. And, if Stockholm traditionally accuses Moscow of excessive militarization now Helsinki joins it also. In one of documents of the Finnish MoD it is said: «for Finland east region will have the important strategic value as Russia continues to concentrate there its armed forces».

Under this pretext the «Scandinavian block» is intended to create own «military fist» which capabilities will compete and even to prevail over Russian general purpose forces in Arctic region. 
The most effective in its conditions will belong to air forces and fleet. Total strength fleet forces of the new block will be about 600 warships, 24 submarines and over 30 combat ships of the basic classes, and up to 220 number smaller ships and boats, plus 600 combat aircrafts. 
The Arctic orientations of the created military block as well as it's mainly orientation against Russia are obvious enough. 

Moscow still names expansion of NATO, headed by the USA, by an error. 
It concerns also increase in military activity of an Alliance in Arctic regions. The planes of NATO providing Alliance security an frequently are under construction at the expense of infringement of Russia security. 
Such activity in Arctic regions is realized in practice through the «American model» which assumes activization of military cooperation within the limits of NATO «coalitions of interested States» (countries - not members of an alliance, for example, Finland and others States). 
National interests of one party (West) are tried to reach by means of infringement of national interests of other party (Russia). 
For example, many contradictions of existing international relations in Arctic regions purposefully become aggravated Brussels for a substantiation of increase in military presence of NATO in region. Also it is available mutual distrust growth between Moscow and Brussels, absence of accurate rules at which they could provide stability in Arctic regions with joint efforts. 
In these conditions Russia also plane to create grouping of Armed Forces in Arctic region which urged to provide security of the Russian Federation Arctic zone in various military-political conditions. "

"And main problem there -- is Afghanistan. First of all - military operation against «Taliban" develops not under the Washington plans. Moreover, the situation worsens, losses among military personnel of the Western coalition grow, and the future of new strategy of the USA in Afghanistan started more and more foggy. And the second - massive US expenditures in Afghanistan also worry the Russians. In the light of withdrawal of Americans and ISAF from Afghanistan there is a question - and what further? And who will support stability in this country? Organizations SCTO and STO where Russia is, due to its weakness in comparison with military grouping of the USA and ISAF, are not ready for that.
In addition there are few people who believe that Karzai will remain in power. If he is gone the country will disintegrate. Ultra-radical Islamic Pashtuns will not share forces the Karzai government and it is unlikely that the Afghans will come to any agreement."

"Right now the Arctic is relatively stable, but if this region is divided by power we cannot exclude a scenario where conflict including tactical nuclear weapons