MOSCOW — Russia on Saturday announced an initiative to address climate change. But it had nothing to do with smokestacks.

Russia’s military said it planned to sail regular naval patrols along shipping lanes in its territory in the Arctic Ocean that opened to commercial vessels only in the last few years, as Arctic ice began melting at a record pace.

The Ministry of Defense announced the move after a flotilla led by the flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet — the Pyotr Velikiy, or Peter the Great — completed a trip across the Arctic Ocean last week to great fanfare at home, where the news media presented the voyage as an example of Russia’s proud naval heritage.

The ship sailed through most of the once fabled Northeast Passage, a voyage that the military said Saturday marked the start of regular patrols to protect the thousands of miles of coastline suddenly open to other countries’ ships on a regular basis. Russian leaders announced several years ago that the country would beef up its military presence in the waters to deal with what it considered a new threat, including from drug smugglers and illegal migrants who can now reach its northern shores during the warmest months of the year.