Russian navy looks north

MOSCOW, June 11 (UPI) -- Russia plans to deploy its navy more frequently in the Pacific and Arctic, as well as the Atlantic, a high-ranking Defense Ministry official said Tuesday.

Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov, who heads the combat training directorate, said the navy may be focused more on the north, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

"We are also planning to increase the operational radius of the Northern

Fleet's submarines," he said.

Russia and other countries bordering the Arctic, including Canada, the United States, Norway and Denmark, have become more concerned with protecting their claims to the continental shelf there. If global warming melts the Arctic sea ice, exploration for oil and other resources is likely to become easier.

Last year, Russia planted a titanium flag on the seabed under the North Pole. Russian officials say the Lomontsov Ridge crosses the pole, giving it a claim.