Russian Army to Get 1st Tor-M2DT Air Defense Missile Systems Next Week...This is concerning...

via Sputnik.

The Russian army will receive the first battalion of the Tor-M2DT short-range air defence missile systems next week, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

"On November 19-25, 2018, the first Arctic Tor-M2DT anti-aircraft missile systems are to enter operational service in the Northern fleet (Yeysk, Krasnodar Region)," the statement reads.

The hand-over ceremony will be held in the territory of the 726th air defence training centre of military air defence.

The Tor-M2DT system was developed using the Tor-M2 missile launcher station specifically for Russia's Arctic military group, and is able to defend airspace from enemy air attacks within a radius of at least 15 kilometres (9 miles). It is constructed on the basis of DT-30 tracked vehicles and adapted to lack of roads and low temperatures.

Much to the annoyance of many of my readers, I've taken the stance that Russia is not the enemy.

This move makes me pause though.

I've watched the Russian military buildup and from my chair it looks totally defensive in nature.  YES!  They are building an expeditionary force based on their Airborne and Marines but essentially they're just meeting an ever expanding NATO and EU.

Except when it comes to the Arctic.

I'm seeing specially designed vehicles that are being tailored to fight in that region.

Why?

The only thing that makes sense is that they're gonna make a run at something.  What that something is I don't know but I am concerned by the aggressive stance they're taking with regard to the Arctic.

Quite honestly that's an area where we're vulnerable, have little experience fighting in and we're totally exposed (I forgot the name of the Canadian "Ranger/Scout" force but they would have to be our guides up there...wonder why we don't have people running survival training up there?).

How bad are things?

Wheeled vehicles probably won't cut it.  Strykers will suffer badly and even the new ACV will probably be suboptimal.  Bradleys?  Too heavy, too little flotation over soft snow and they can't swim.  Maybe we could winterize M-113's we drag out of storage but the best vehicle would be BV-206's which we have very few of.

Oh and if you don't think that this vehicle isn't built to tackle our probable solution then you're smoking crack.  They're about to put into service their ground based counter to mobility by helicopter.

I just don't know.  Anyone have any better visibility on Russian intentions in the Arctic?