Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) implications for her policies and (b) potential impact on peace and security in Northern Europe of Russian military activity in the Arctic region.

The Ministry Of Defence's Defence High North strategy, published earlier this year, assessed that Russia is increasingly militarising its Arctic territory, establishing a new Northern Joint Strategic Command, reopening Cold War-era bases above the Arctic Circle, and investing in further Arctic-capable equipment. Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic has reached Cold War levels. We will continue to work with our Allies and partners to monitor the implications of Russia's military activity in the Arctic and High North, and to preserve the security and stability of the wider region.