Russian Deputy Defence Minister has revealed on Sunday that the country will conduct trials of new weapons and military equipment slated for use in the Arctic. The minister explained that the Russian Army will cover 'an exceptionally difficult route in the shortest possible time', unlike previous exercises conducted in the far north. The troops will start from the Tiksi settlement in mid February and move back across the ice cover of the Laptev Sea. During the exercise, the troops will have to cope with extreme whether and territorial challenges, such as temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees, the polar night and snowstorms, with wind speed exceeding 35 m/s and deep snow. Drill will also test the capabilities of military snowmobiles, two-unit transport vehicles, special all terrain vehicles, upgraded two-tier DT-10PM and DT-30PM transporters.