Russian Arctic military exercise draws awe and concern.
The online visuals are stunning, and they are meant to be.
At a high altitude, Russian paratroopers tumble from the belly of a giant transport plane into a sky of cotton clouds and then proceed to fight a three-day mock battle in a winter wasteland.
The recent exercise on Franz Josef Land, a Russian archipelago of largely uninhabited islands in the High Arctic, has set the defence and diplomatic communities abuzz, particularly in Canada, which has its own Far North island chain.
At a high altitude, Russian paratroopers tumble from the belly of a giant transport plane into a sky of cotton clouds and then proceed to fight a three-day mock battle in a winter wasteland.
The recent exercise on Franz Josef Land, a Russian archipelago of largely uninhabited islands in the High Arctic, has set the defence and diplomatic communities abuzz, particularly in Canada, which has its own Far North island chain.
It was an incredible display and an extraordinary test of endurance for the troops, said a Canadian defence expert.
"It's the highest altitude drop we've seen," said Andrea Charron, director of the University of Manitoba's Centre for Defence and Security Studies.
"Once they landed, they completed a three-day combat training exercise, and that is just an incredible feat of human endurance whether you look at it from a military perspective, or any perspective. That is just an incredible display of logistics, courage and ingenuity."
"It's the highest altitude drop we've seen," said Andrea Charron, director of the University of Manitoba's Centre for Defence and Security Studies.
"Once they landed, they completed a three-day combat training exercise, and that is just an incredible feat of human endurance whether you look at it from a military perspective, or any perspective. That is just an incredible display of logistics, courage and ingenuity."
