Russia has placed a heavy emphasis on Arctic defense in recent years, leveraging melting sea ice to establish new shipping lanes and a military foothold throughout the region.

NATO forces recently conducted a massive arctic warfare training exercise called “Trident Juncture,” the largest of its sort since the Cold War — but there’s no denying that Russia has a head start when it comes to the bitter cold of the Arctic Circle.

Image courtesy of the Russian Ministry of Defense

 

You can watch highlights from Trident Juncture ’18 below: