Russia has been openly re-establishing its military presence in the Arctic for some time now, and recent satellite imagery may give some insight into Moscow's intentions. Detailed images collected by Stratfor's partners at AllSource Analysis clearly show Russia's ongoing construction and development of several permanent bases in the region. Two in particular, one on Alexandra Island and the other on Kotelny Island, reflect the broader pattern in Russia's Arctic activity: Moscow is looking to establish a monitoring outpost and stake a symbolic territorial claim, but it has not yet built up a full-blown combat presence. The Alexandra and Kotelny island positions are military posts, but as seen in the September photographs, they look very different from the typical army base. They are limited facilities that were not necessarily built with the goal of housing significant combat forces — at least, not for now.