North European countries are lagging far behind Russia in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles in the Arctic, according to the German daily Tagesspiegel.

“Over a decade ago, the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin launched the construction of drones for the Arctic. NATO’s northern countries are now trying to catch up with it but are mostly failing because of the harsh local climate,” the newspaper writes.

It believes that Russia is a step ahead of other countries in this sphere. The company Zala Aero has long been trying to develop drones that can survive extreme Arctic temperatures.

“Russia is four or five years ahead of us,” Lieutenant Colonel Johan Huovinen, a military teacher at the Swedish Defense University (FHS), told the newspaper.

He said that Russia started integrating UAVs in 2008, and that NATO’s northern countries only reached the same level several years ago.

The lag became visible especially well two years ago, when the founder of Greenland-based startup Arctic Unmanned Mads Petersen tested its Arctic drone.

“The battery only lasted for three minutes,” he said.

Reuters previously reported, citing companies and defense ministries in northern Europe and America, that they tried to catch up with Russia in the production of drones that can operate in the rigorous Artic climate.

A Reuters survey of 14 companies and six defense ministries and armed forces in NATO’s northern countries showed that the industry was working at pace to buy or develop drones that can endure icy conditions.