Russian military presence in the Arctic 'absolutely necessary,' says Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin considers the presence of Russian troops in the Arctic an "absolutely necessary" part of military development, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Responding to CNN reporting about satellite images showing huge Russian military build-up in the Arctic, Peskov said "the Commander-in-Chief [Putin] really considers the Russian military presence in the Arctic to be an absolutely necessary element of military development."