Russia has been developing unmanned underwater combat vehicles to protect its interests and economic infrastructure in the Arctic, the head of the designing institute said Tuesday.
"The Foundation of Prospective Researches (FPI) has been working on the underwater robotronics and devices designed for protection of the infrastructure, control of the water surface, and detecting and elimination of a potential enemy," FPI chief Vitaly Davydov told Interfax news agency.
The equipment will be planted at the sea bed and aboard special submarines, according to Davydov, who added that the future confrontation in the Arctic would be centered on its natural resources, oil and gas in the first place.
"For that, (Russia) will have to solve a range of tasks, including the subglacial deposits' discovery, development, transportation and protection," he said.
The FPI was established in October 2012 under the order of President Vladimir Putin with the aim of providing breakthrough technologies in the areas of national defense and security.
In recent years, Moscow has increased its presence in the Arctic.
The Foreign Ministry said at the beginning of this year that Russia was finalizing its revised application for expanding its Arctic exclusive economic zone.
Last December, Putin vowed never to "surrender" his country's Arctic area and ordered the Defense Ministry to take every step necessary to protect Russia's security and national interests in the region.