Governor's touchdown on Arctic coast gives a rare glimpse of Russian military radars
"Today I will work in Indiga," governor of the Nenets Autonomous District Irina Gekht reported in a social media video post that showed her helicopter landing in the remote settlement.
It is hard to reach the far northern settlement of Indiga without using a helicopter. The small town with a population of about 600 is located on the remote coast of the Barents Sea about 170 km northwest of the regional capital of Naryan-Mar.
The governor who was appointed by Putin to head the region in 2025 filmed her helicopter's descent to the local landing pad. The video shows a group of village houses on the tundra.
In the background are visible two local radars, among them Rezonans-NE system.
The Rezonans-NE complex is reportedly capable of spotting aerodynamic targets at up to 600 km distance, while ballistic missiles can be discovered from 1200 km.
The radar system that have been deployed by Russia in the Arctic is a rare sight in the public.
Reportedly, the Rezonans-NE entered service in Russia's Northern Fleet in 2018. The complex in Indiga is one of at least five radars of the type in the region.
Another complex is located in Sjojna on the Nenets Kanin Peninsula. There is also a complex in Rogachevo, Novaya Zemlya.
In the Kola Peninsula, there are believed to be two complexes. One of them is in Ostrovnoy (Gadzhievo) on the northeastern part of the peninsula. The second is in Zapolyarny, near the border with Norway and Finland. The latter is believed to have been built after 2022.
A Barents Observer article from the summer of 2022 included satellite images that appeared to show the ongoing construction in Zapolyarny.
The Rezonans-NE radar occupies an area of 100 x 100 meters and is said to have capabilities to provide early warning and target tracking against stealth aircraft like the F-35.
Several more Rezonans-NE radars might be in the process of building. Sources in the Russian General Staff have previously indicated that five more systems of the kind are to be deployed along the country’s Arctic coast, in the area between Novaya Zemlya and the Bering Strait.
According to state-owned propaganda news agency TASS, Russia needs to strengthen its capability to protect itself against hypersonic weapons as this is among the top priorities of the USA.
The video by Governor Irina Gekht also shows a second radar in Indiga. This might be a Sopka-2 complex.
According to the manufacturer Almaz-Antey Group, the Sopka-2 is a ground-based radar complex that is designed to be used as a source of radar information for air traffic control and airspace surveillance systems. It can spot aerial objects at a range of up to 450 kilometres and at 40,000 meter height.
The Sopka-2 can detect and track air targets, including aeroplanes, helicopters and UAVs and transmit data to the air defence system.
