Russia continues to expand its military bases in the Arctic region, despite significant losses in the war with Ukraine. This is evidenced by satellite images obtained by CNN..

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also told CNN in an exclusive interview that recent tensions have caused the alliance to "

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The findings also came after a senior Western intelligence official told CNN that Russia has withdrawn up to three-quarters of its ground forces from the High North region near the Arctic, sending them to bolster its failed invasion of Ukraine..

Satellite imagery acquired by CNN by Maxar Technologies shows a number of Russian radar bases and airstrips improved over the past year.

The images show continued work on building radar stations at Olenegorsk on the Kola Peninsula in northwest Russia and at Vorkuta, north of the Arctic Circle.. They also show that work is underway to complete construction of one of the five Rezonans-N radar systems at Ostrovnoy, located on the Barents Sea, near Norway and Finland in western Russia.. Russian officials claim Rezonans-N is capable of detecting stealthy aircraft and objects.

Three new radars were built this year at the Tiksi air defense facility in the far northeast, according to Maksar imagery and analysis.. At the Nagurskoye airbase, Russia's northernmost military facility, work has also been done to improve the runway and parking apron, and at the Temp airbase on Kotelny Island in the country's northeast, work has also been done to improve the runway.

The Arctic region has long been a key region for the country's oil and gas sector, as well as for its nuclear defense, since this area contains a significant part of modern nuclear weapons and submarines..

At the start of the war with Ukraine in February, some submarines were redeployed to show "

NATO head Stoltenberg reasoned: " So the strategic importance of these areas has not changed due to the war in Ukraine."

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The war in Ukraine has led to a major adjustment in the size of Russian troops in the region, says a senior Western intelligence official.. " But at the same time, the naval component is completely unaffected by the war,"

Following strikes earlier this month on two key airfields deep in Russia, Ryazan and Saratov, Russian warplanes and bombers have been dispersed across the country and in the northern Arctic, the official added..

The Arctic is also vital to Russia because its melting ice is rapidly opening up new sea routes from Southeast Asia to Europe, using a much shorter route along the Russian coast..

At the same time, the war in Ukraine has strengthened NATO's presence in the region.. Once Finland and Sweden join the bloc, seven of the eight Arctic states are expected to become NATO members..

NATO is also increasingly concerned about potential sabotage against Norway's oil and gas infrastructure.. Now Russian energy is under sanctions, Norwegian natural gas accounts for more than 20% of supplies to Europe, according to some analytical data..

“After the sabotage in the Baltic Sea,” Stoltenberg said, “we doubled our presence with ships, with submarines, with maritime patrol aircraft in the Baltic and North Seas, partly for monitoring, for better situational awareness, but also in order to send a signal.

The head of NATO was referring to the explosions on the Nord Stream pipeline in September, which, according to Swedish prosecutors, were caused by an act of sabotage after traces of explosives were found at the facilities..