 A Russia-NATO conflict in the Arctic may erupt in the next two to three years. A Russia-NATO conflict in the Arctic may erupt in the next two to three years amid tensions between the two sides, a Russian military expert said. As regards the potential timeline of this conflict, judging from all papers, delivery times and public statements being made by NATO and US military leaders, that is scheduled for 2030 or later, Alexander Stepanov, program director at the Academy of Political Sciences and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences wrote, but given how the situation has been evolving of late, the high intensity and escalation of tensions, that conflict may occur there in the next two or three years he warned. Earlier Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of NATO's military committee said that the increasing competition and militarization in the Arctic region, especially by Russia and China, is worrying. Melting ice in the Arctic allows for new sea routes that make sailing easier for larger vessels and shorten the time it takes to navigate, he said and continued. The Arctic is still a Russian military stronghold, home to the Northern Fleet, nuclear submarines, missile facilities, air stations, radar stations and troop concentrations. Russia's largest force is based on the Kola Peninsula, which borders Norway and Finland, NATO's newest member. The presence is constantly expanding with further construction and renovation of military bases. The region also continues to be used as a testing ground for new Russian weapons, including hypersonic missiles and the Poseidon nuclear torpedo drone. He is concerned with Russia, the largest and most direct threat against the Alliance's security, forming increasingly closer ties with China and with the activity that follows in the North. Putin's awkward act showed his weakness. The Economist. After the ISIS terrorist attack in Moscow, which became a colossal failure of the Russian intelligence services and a slap in the face to Putin, the head of the Kremlin cowardly disappeared and reappeared almost a day later with a false statement in which he tried to ridiculously concoct blame for Ukraine. However, such behavior is traditional for the Russian President, writes the British magazine The Economist. Putin is a man who likes victories, preferably staged managed ones. It is noted that last year, when Yevgeny Prigoshin and his band of mercenaries made their way to Moscow, Putin was initially nowhere to be seen, the magazine writes. So if he took a full 19 hours to conjure up a short TV performance to speak about the massive intelligence failure at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, he was falling into a familiar pattern. The address itself gave little away and appeared to serve as a hedge. Putin claimed ludicrously that Ukraine had opened a border window to the terrorists as they tried to escape Russia in their white Renault symbol. But the Russian President stopped short of directly attributing responsibility to Ukraine for the attack and said nothing about the Islamic State Group that said it had carried it out. Part of Putin's reluctance to go all in on blaming Ukraine might reflect a worry that the American government is sitting on intelligence that could undermine such a claim. Part might be embarrassment at his security agency's failure to act on American warnings on March 7th of an imminent attack. Indeed, just three days before the assault, Putin had brushed off that intelligence as blackmail. Such a hubristic blunder would have consequences in a country where power can be held to account. Russia is not such a country. The attack nevertheless represents a blow to the reputation of Putin and the security services on which he depends. The manner of the assault, in which at least 137 people lost their lives, will not soon be forgotten. There are many questions over the inept security at the Glitzy venue, which is in an entertainment park in Moscow's northwest suburbs. It is unclear why local police failed to respond quickly. A producer of a show held at Croker City Hall 10 days before the attack noted that 200 security guards were present that night.