This year the Russian Emergencies Ministry plans on increasing its Arctic group by adding paratroopers. This has been reported by RIA Novosti. At this point, the group includes more than 18,000 military search-and-rescue (SAR) specialists.

"We will take additional measures so as to be able to develop military rescue units. The Emergencies Ministry group in the Arctic will be reinforced with airborne units," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian facilities in the Arctic region include nuclear power plants, deployment sites for nuclear-powered icebreakers and warships, hazardous chemical and explosive objects, as well as vital communications. These   can become the cause of man-made disasters.

There are five comprehensive SAR facilities in the Russian Arctic: in Vorkuta, Murmansk, Naryan-Mar, Arkhangelsk and Dudinka, as well as an Arctic SAR training center Vytegra in the Vologda Region. The total number of center's specialists is 477.