Russian arctic manoeuvres simulate assault on Alaska amid harsh terrain

The Kremlin considers the Arctic a Russian sphere of influence, and Russia regularly organises military manoeuvres in the far north. The scenario of the latest manoeuvres, conducted in Chukotka, corresponded to the challenges that Russian forces would face during an attack on Alaska.

During the manoeuvres, a Ropucha-class landing ship (Project 775) transferred a marine unit with equipment to the northern coast of the Chukchi Peninsula. The Russian soldiers then traversed approximately 300 kilometres of rough terrain to reach the Pacific coast.

According to the Defence 24 service, the aim of the manoeuvres was not only to survive and cover the distance in difficult, arctic conditions but also to carry out typical combat tasks, such as overcoming enemy positions or destroying hostile reconnaissance groups.

This corresponded to the challenges that the Russian marines would face during an attack on Alaska, which was not intended to capture territory but to conduct diversionary operations. After the raid was completed, the landing ship picked up the Russian unit from the shore.

The Defence 24 expert also points out the disinformation used by the Russians when reporting on the manoeuvres. According to official communications, Russian soldiers moved through difficult terrain using standard, articulated DT-10P Vityaz all-terrain vehicles.

This equipment is indeed part of the Russian marines' gear. However, the photos released by the Russians show different equipment – a self-propelled 2S39 Magnolia mortar with a calibre of 120 millimetres. This is a combination of the 2S9 Nona mortar turret mounted on the rear section of the DT-30PM vehicle, which is an advanced version of the Vityaz.

At first glance, this is understandable because "(...) the raid conducted by the Russian soldiers could come to a halt at the first fortified enemy position without artillery fire support."

The problem is that although the 2S39 Magnolia system can be operated even at temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius, such a configured vehicle is not suitable for moving in loose, fresh snow, which is exactly the condition of the Russian unit's march route.

Similar limitations also apply to other Vityaz systems, such as the Pantsir-SA or Tor M2DT anti-aircraft systems. Although they can operate in extremely low temperatures, according to the experts, they cannot traverse the terrain they were designed to overcome.