The devil is not as black as it is painted

... military exercises which recently have been held more frequently and the Arctic states’ armed forces modernization plans. However, the analysis of the coastal states’ military capability suggests quite the opposite: there is a trend towards gradual de-militarization, not to militarization in the Arctic. Coastal states are not preparing for an armed conflict. There isn’t a single military contingent deployed in the Arctic. The only exception is 100 ships-strong Russian Northern Fleet . It was ...