Vladimir Putin faces challenge for Arctic control as Britain steps up plot to 'ensure supremacy'

The floating dock was intended to help Moscow control Arctic seas by assisting in repairs to nuclear-powered ice-breakers.

These vessels are crucial for cleaving safe passage through frozen waters around NATO's northern flank and supporting Russia's ambitions to dominate the Northern Sea route, which nearly halves shipping distances between Europe and Asia when not frozen over.

The announcement will be a boost for Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who on Tuesday began a visit to Norway and Iceland, Britain's two nearest Arctic neighbours.

He told The Telegraph: "The Arctic is fast becoming an area of intense focus for geopolitical competition and a key flank of Nato's defences. Russia has been building up its military presence here for years."

Lammy will observe British and Norwegian ships carrying out joint patrols before announcing an artificial intelligence scheme with Iceland, which will aim at detecting hostile vessels.

Lammy said: "As ice caps in the region melt, new shipping routes and resources will be exposed, further heightening the risk of confrontation. That's why we must take action to deter threats in the Arctic."

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Vladimir Putin has invested heavily in his Northern Fleet, which comprises 18 nuclear-powered submarines and warships equipped with hypersonic missiles.

Senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, Ed Arnold, said Putin "got the drop" over NATO with "a decade of remilitarisation" in the Arctic before the war in Ukraine began.

Russia has prepared its Arctic regions with new military bases and invested in hypersonic cruise missiles.

The Tsirkon's 1,000km (621miles) range brings Western targets into play, significantly expanding Russia's strike capabilities in the region.

Arnold believes that the war in Ukraine has stretched the Russian military and it is now "so much weakened, it's almost giving Nato a 'get out of jail free' card".

He added: "If you invest and take this seriously now, you could potentially ensure supremacy in the Arctic."

Together, Norway and the UK form the front line against any Russian attempt to enter the waters of the North Atlantic.

Russia has stepped up patrols across the Arctic and in recent years, accused Nato of provoking the Kremlin with more exercises in northern Norway.