Russia mulls creating Arctic fleet

Russia may set up a new naval fleet in the Arctic to guard the Northern Sea Route, reported Xinhua, quoting the TASS news agency on Thursday.

"We are currently examining the possibility of creating a new structure, namely the Russian Arctic fleet," TASS cited a source from the country's naval forces.

"This will be a separate formation within the navy, and it will be tasked with ensuring the safety of the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic coast in the area of responsibility of the Northern and Pacific fleets," TASS quoted the source as saying.

There has been no official confirmation from the Russian Navy.