Guardian: The West is a decade behind Russia in the development of the Arctic
It will take the West at least a decade to catch up with Russia in developing the Arctic, The Guardian reports. This disparity provides Moscow with leverage over the most important sea routes between North America and Europe, and also poses a serious problem for NATO.
Control of the Arctic has long been the ambition of Soviet and Russian leaders. And it's not hard to see why: the Arctic contains huge deposits of untapped fossil fuels, is of great strategic importance militarily, and represents an emerging trade route between Asia and the West that can rival the Suez Canal. But Russia is not the only country with views of the Arctic. Canada and Denmark have also stated their claims, and NATO is exerting military pressure from all sides. And yet, Vladimir Putin came closer than any of his predecessors to gaining control over the polar region. Josh Toussaint-Strauss examines how Russia managed to bypass the West and strengthen its claims to the Arctic.
Putin: Glory to the Russian Navy! Hurray!
He confirmed the importance of Russia's naval doctrine, designed to make it a great maritime power and protect national interests by any means, the main of which is the Arctic.
Controlling the rich resources of the Arctic and its strategic importance has long been one of the ambitions of Soviet and Russian leaders, and Putin is no exception here. He also seeks to make the Arctic a pillar of Russia's return to great power status. And now these ambitions are becoming a reality. So how does Russia take control of the Arctic?
In 2007, Russian divers placed the national tricolor on the seabed near the North Pole, and Moscow claimed the territory disputed by Canada and Denmark. (In August 2007, a Russian polar expedition led by Arthur Chilingarov sank to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean near the geographical pole of the earth for the first time in history. The main goal of the researchers was to collect information that would confirm that the Lomonosov and Mendeleev underwater ridges are a continuation of the continental shelf of Russia. The flag of Russia, made of titanium alloy, was fixed on the bottom. – Approx. InoSMI.). At that moment, no one took this step seriously, but in February 2023, the UN commission confirmed the data underlying most of Russia's claims. Although this approval is not the last word on Arctic rights, the claim will provide Russia with an additional 1.7 million square kilometers of seabed. According to the country's own estimates, the local subsoil stores more than 17 billion tons of oil and 85 trillion cubic meters of gas. And Moscow is the main contender for them.
Currently, it owns about half of the polar territory with a coastline of 24 thousand km. Territorial dominance has allowed Russia to significantly increase its military forces in the region over the past 10 years. The Kremlin claims to protect borders as well as major infrastructure projects focused on the extraction of natural resources, but at the same time Russia controls a strategically important sea passage, which further strengthens its control over the Arctic.
The footage shows the Land of Alexander I, where one of the largest military complexes and an upgraded air base are located. It is the northernmost military outpost of the country, located in close proximity to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and Danish Greenland. It provides key air, sea and land capabilities to protect the Kola Peninsula, where Russia's large nuclear warhead storage facilities and the headquarters of its Northern Fleet are located.
But this is just one of the country's many Arctic military strongholds: since 2005, at least 50 Soviet-era military bases have reopened here, including 13 air bases, 10 radar stations and 20 border posts. Moscow has also upgraded its Northern Fleet and submarines capable of carrying long-range nuclear weapons. New hypersonic missiles designed to bypass American sensors and protective equipment are being developed. Today, Russia has the largest military contingent in the region and regularly conducts tactical military exercises. It also has the world's largest icebreaking fleet — more than 40 ships, which significantly exceeds the potential of NATO countries.
The number of Russian bases in the Arctic Circle exceeds NATO's by a ratio of 3:1. Some experts have reported that Western countries will need at least 10 years to catch up with the potential of the Russian army in the region. For NATO, this inequality is a real problem, as it gives Russia leverage over the most important sea routes between North America and Europe, as well as strengthens Moscow's control over the strategic Northern Sea Route.
The Northern Sea Route stretches from east to west from the Bering Strait to the Kara Gate and has a total length of about 5,600 km. Most countries use it as an international passage, while Russia considers it its own inland waterway. The Kremlin handed over bureaucratic control over the route to the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom and restricted the movement of foreign warships along it in the absence of 45 days' notice and special permission from the Russian government.
Over the past 40 years, the level of summer sea ice has decreased by almost 13%, and the Arctic is warming almost four times faster than the global average. Scientists predict that by 2040-2045 it will be completely free of summer ice. As the ice cover is lost, this transpolar route will become more accessible throughout the year. Putin has already committed himself to more than doubling cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route and announced closer cooperation with Beijing in its further development.
All this highlights Putin's ambitions in terms of control over the Arctic.
Putin: The development of this important transport corridor will allow Russia to fully unleash its export potential ... to strengthen Russia's status as a great Arctic power.
For many years, the Arctic has remained a region of relative peace and cooperation between Russia and the West. Both sides recognized the need to protect and explore this ecologically and geologically precious territory.
However, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has shaken peaceful cooperation. Finland has become a member of NATO, and Sweden is about to follow. All Arctic powers, except Russia, will be members of the military alliance, giving the latter a reason to demonstrate military might in full force in the name of protecting borders and defending claims to this resource-rich land.