President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia’s Arctic fleet is and will remain the strongest in the world, as the country has been strengthening the military infrastructure in the region to secure its interests there.

The Russian leader vowed to continue developing the scientific, transport and military infrastructure in the strategically important Arctic region. He also emphasized that icebreakers are a key component of this ambition. "Our Arctic fleet has been, remains and will be the strongest one in the world," Putin said, addressing Russian parliamentarians on Thursday.

READ MORE: Russia’s successes & challenges: Putin’s State of the Nation address in detail

By 2024, the traffic through the Northern Sea Route past Russia will increase tenfold, the president predicted.

#Putin: Russia needs to make it easier for talented and skilled foreigners to get citizenship - LIVE UPDATES https://t.co/iaF0jaCKkapic.twitter.com/X40BpVo4oo — RT (@RT_com) March 1, 2018

Putin made the comments in a Thursday address to the Federal Assembly – a joint session of the two chambers of the Russian parliament. The annual event is Russia’s version of the State of the Union address in the US, a report by the head of the nation on how well the government performed in the previous year and what future challenges it faces.