The weak point of NATO is its northern archipelago.

Russian Kilo-class submarine on its run. 

The archipelago between Canada and Greenland is huge. That is also a good place to operate with smaller compact diesel-electric submarines. Like a Russian Kilo-class boat. Kilo and its successor, Lada class submarines, are a small, quiet, and heavily armed submarines that can carry hypersonic “Kalibr” missiles. Those submarines can try to use those missiles against British cities and military installations. And in some visions, the small diesel-electric submarines try to use the British archipelago as a shield. 

There, they will shoot the hypersonic missiles. Against the targets in British territory. There is a transformation from that model. The Russian submarines can use an Arctic archipelago as a shield. And then try to get their launching positions from the Hudson Bay or Newfoundland-Labrador areas. 

It’s possible that Russia plans to make the nuclear-powered variant of those submarines. The Soviet-era Alfa-class submarine technology can be modified to use in a Kilo- or Lada-class submarine hull. The submarine can wait in that archipelago and then follow the Greenland coastline. Most of the Kalibr missiles. Those that were used in Syria. Were shot. From Kilo-class boats. 

And shoots NATO bases with hypersonic missiles. If that submarine can enter the Hudson Bay, that point can offer it a position to launch missiles against the coastal bases. Or, if the submarine can enter the Newfoundland and Labrador peninsula, it can launch cruise missiles with a range of 660 or even 2500 kilometers against the U.S. bases. 

The risk of using this archipelago as a point, where a nuclear missile submarine can lurk and shoot its missiles, came to the strategist's mind when the Argus sea patrol aircraft found the Soviet Hotel-class submarine on the surface run near Newfoundland on 24 February 1972. There was a fire onboard. In that submarine. And it must surface. This is known as the “K-19 incident”. The scenario is that the nuclear submarine travels below the northern ice cap to that arcipelago and then shoots its ballistic missiles at the USA. The worst threat is the situation where the nuclear missile submarine can travel to Hudson Bay and shoot its missiles. 

Hotel-class submarine on surface run, 800 miles from Newfoundland. 

The northern archipelago. 

"A U.S. Army Special Forces paratrooper conducts a high-altitude low-opening military freefall jump with an MK–54 SADM" (Wikipedia, Special Atomic Demolition Munition)

"SADM in its carry bag" (Special Atomic Demolition Munition" (Wikipedia, Special Atomic Demolition Munition)

The Alfa was a compact, fast, and deadly nuclear submarine that used a lead-bismuth cooled, beryllium-moderated reactor. The speed of that submarine was 41 knots. The technology used in Alfa can be mounted on the Lada or Kilo-class submarine. The system can use the same reactor. The Poseidon torpedo, which gives that underwater drone a speed of 100 knots. 

Or. Those diesel-electric submarines can also be pulled to that operational area by using cargo ships or nuclear submarines. The submarine. That which hides in the Arctic archipelago can shoot missiles. Against early warning radars and the NATO bases in Greenland. 

Another threat is the Russian giant Poseidon. Or a Status-6 torpedo with a 100-200 mt warhead lurks in that archipelago. If that warhead detonates, the system can create a tsunami; the water condenses through those straits. Or the torpedo travels to the southern point of Greenland and detonates itself. In some models, those systems can hide between those islands. The submarine that operates those torpedoes can travel around Greenland and then shoot them through the Baffin Bay. 

That northern area. With a very low population. And a large icy desert.  Makes it possible to send paratroopers to that area, or those operators can also operate from submarines. They can operate as agent-saboteurs. Modern equipment makes it possible. That even a small group of men can cause horrible destruction. 

Or they can take other hostile actions. Like, try to kidnap people and mark the early warning radars. Or they could install systems that can record or destroy those early warning radar stations. Special forces can use the EMP bombs or SADM Special Atomic Demolition Munitions, or “Briefcase nukes” against the NATO bases at Greenland. Those weapons are easy to hide. Near those targets, and then the radio signal can detonate them. 

That kind of way to use small nuclear bombs also makes it possible that the third party can get those portable nukes in their hands. In the worst cases. Somebody connects the SADM detonator to a warship. And then detonate that system in some NATO harbour. In some other simulations, those mini-nukes can be detonated in Greenland ice. That detonation can put. Thousands of tonnes of ice. To move to the sea. That can cause a large tsunami. Those tsunamis can endanger Nuuk city, bases, and ships. If they are under a tsunami. 

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/04/russias-black-hole-kilo-class-submarine-had-just-1-job/

https://defensefeeds.com/military-tech/navy/submarines/kilo-class-submarine/

https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/kilo-class-the-russian-black-hole-submarine-ukraine-crippled-with-sub-sea-baby-underwater-drones/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa-class_submarine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel-class_submarine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalibr_(missile_family)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Atomic_Demolition_Munition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilo-class_submarine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon_(unmanned_underwater_vehicle)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_K-19