Britain must beef up its defences in the Arctic to stave off the growing threat of Vladimir Putin's military in the region, MPs warn

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Britain must dramatically step up its defences in the Arctic to stave off the growing threat of Vladimir Putin's military in the region, MPs have today warned. 

Russia and China are in a scramble to control the lucrative and strategically important shipping paths which have opened up as the Polar ice caps melt.

The area contains vast oil and gas reserves, and the melting ice means that valuable minerals like gold, silver and graphite can now be mined there.

Russia has declared that it owns the North Pole and is building heavily armed military posts along the Arctic coast at a rate which is alarming the world.

Today a parliamentary defence committee warned ministers they must show 'greater ambition and apply more resources' in facing up to the threat.

Russia, under Vladimir Putin (pictured on Sunday at a summit in Kazakhstan) is in a scramble to control the lucrative and strategically important shipping paths in the Arctic which have opened up as the Polar ice caps melt 

And they warned that a resurgent Russia could mean a return to 'great power competition' in the region.

Labour MP Madeleine Moon, hit out at Theresa May for refusing to commit to keeping the UK a 'Tier 1 military defence force' amid continued budget pressures.

She added: 'If the definition of a leading — or even a 'Tier 1' — defence nation is one which has the ability to deploy a full range of capabilities anywhere in the world, then this includes the unique operating environment of the Arctic and the High North.

'Being able to do so is ultimately a question of resource and a question of ambition, and the Sub-Committee calls upon the Government to show leadership in providing both.'

Russia has built military bases and sent troops into the Arctic to man them, and installed long range missiles to the raea, the reprt warns.

This build up of a heavily armed Russian military presence has seriously ratcheted up tensions in the region and goes way beyond anything that could be seen as proportionate, the report says. 

The report, On Thin Ice: UK Defence in the Arctic, warns that under Mr Putin Russia has been guilty of 'aggressive and revisionist behaviour'.

Ms Moon added: 'The changing security environment in the Arctic and the High North is a matter of growing significance to the UK, given the strategic importance of the region and the increasing level of military activity we see. 

'This has been led by Russia, which is continuing to expand its military presence and influence.

'The UK has previously played a leading role in defending Nato's Northern Flank and in maintaining maritime security in the North Atlantic.

'The importance of this role is now returning to significance. 

'The UK's capabilities to perform these tasks still exist, but they are sustained at a low level and are in high demand elsewhere. 

'A new level of ambition backed up by adequate resources is required to meet the developing threats we have identified.' 

The Henry Jackson Society think-tank warned Russia had spent the last decade 'intensively militarising' the Arctic, leaving the West vulnerable.

Its Russia and Eurasia Studies Centre director Dr Andrew Foxall said Russian expansion in the region has far outstripped anything Britain and Europe has done.

Labour MP Madeleine Moon (pictured in the Hue of Commons in February)said the UK must allocate more resources to stave off the growing threat of Russia in the region

The report warns that a resurgent Russia could mean a return to 'great power competition' in the Arctic region (pictured, Royal Navy submarine HMS Trenchant breaking through the metre-thick ice of the Arctic Ocean on Ice Exercise 18)

He said: 'This has far outstripped Western efforts over the same period and has left the West vulnerable.

'In so far as Russia's actions threaten the international system, it seems clear that greater dangers lie ahead – for both the UK and the West – if Russia's militarisation of the Arctic goes unchecked.'

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said: 'There has been a tenfold resurgence in Russian activity in the Arctic and North Atlantic, with Russia investing heavily in its northern fleet and taking steps to remilitarise its Arctic territory.

'The UK is taking appropriate steps along with the US and other Nato allies to ensure stability is maintained, and are encouraging all members of the Arctic Council to continue engaging constructively on the issues affecting the region.'