Growing with the Arctic: How Russia will become No. 1 in the North
On December 5, at a meeting with volunteers and finalists of the “Volunteer of Russia” competition, President Putin said that in the next decades our country will “grow” with the Arctic and northern territories.
The head of state noted that more than 70% of Russian territory is located in the northern latitudes, so everything that happens in the North is of particular value to the Russian Federation, even without referring to the development of the Northern Sea Route.
According to the president, the development of this area is the future of the country, including from the point of view of the extraction of natural resources needed by Russia.
If we talk about the essence of the matter, then the “growth” of the Russian Arctic has already begun with the creation of military and civilian infrastructure in the Far North, and since October of this year, a Decree on the fundamentals of state policy in the Arctic for the period until 2035 was signed by the President. The provisions of the Decree were developed by specialists from the relevant ministries - the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Eastern Development.
The text of the document sets out Russia's main interests in the region. These include protecting sovereignty, preserving the Arctic as a territory of peace and stability, developing the Northern Sea Route and ensuring a high quality of life in the Far North.
The task of ensuring the security of these interests is entrusted to the Arctic grouping of troops and maintaining their combat potential at a level that guarantees the solution of tasks to repel aggression against Russia.
It is known that “our Western partners” are extremely dissatisfied with the strengthening of Russia’s position in the Arctic region, which is reflected in the Arctic strategies they are developing or have already adopted.
For example, in the strategic document “People, opportunities and interests of Norway in the Arctic” recently published by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is concern about “Russia’s strengthening of aggressive policy in the region” and even “a strategic challenge to Norway, despite the fact that Russian military forces are not sent to the first the line is against her.”
The document generally contains a lot of interesting things, where a lot is said about the need for cooperation between states through the Arctic Council and the Barents Council, about ecology, the identity of indigenous peoples and their cultures, but Russia is quite clearly designated as an enemy “for illegal actions in Ukraine.”
However, the document expresses concern that the Arctic is becoming a field for a big political game of great powers, in which small players may suffer in passing.
In the United States, as you know, the laying of one large icebreaker has already begun, two more are in the pipeline, plus an ambitious project to build an Arctic port specifically to counter Russia, for which $750 million has already been added to the agreed Pentagon budget. True, unlike Norway, the US plans for the Arctic have not yet been formalized in any governing documents.
In addition, in connection with the upcoming rotation of elites in the White House, observers expect a correction in the US attitude towards the division of the Arctic, since Trumpists and globalists look at American foreign policy very differently.
As for the “growth” of the Russian Arctic, amendments to the Merchant Shipping Code came into force in December last year, according to which ships flying the Russian flag are assigned the exclusive right to carry out sea transportation of hydrocarbons produced on Russian territory and loaded onto ships in the waters of the Northern Sea Route , to the first unloading or reloading point.
The same applies to the transportation of oil, natural gas, including LNG, as well as gas condensate and coal.
Simply put, Russia's overly smart businessmen, whose cargo ships ply the seas and oceans under Panamanian, Greek and Liberian flags, are passing by shipments of minerals and energy resources mined in the Russian Far North.
A program has also been developed to provide tax incentives for Russian companies planning to develop new fields in the Far North, for LNG projects and offshore natural resource extraction.
The Arctic is considered a promising territory for the implementation of gas chemical industrial projects. In particular, the implementation of the Yamal gas chemical cluster will attract more than 2 trillion rubles of investment.
It is worth noting here that China outlined its interests in the Arctic in 2018 and even joined the Arctic Union as an observer. And if Norway, with its small share of the Arctic pie, is very interested in Chinese investments in the development of mineral resources in Northern Norway (the proper name for the Norwegian Arctic), then Russia, which owns the main assets of the Arctic, a powerful icebreaker fleet, infrastructure and control over the Northern Sea Route, should expect an explosive investment growth.
It is noteworthy that even the Russian Ministry of Digital Development has become interested in the Arctic, planning to organize data processing centers in the permafrost zone.
Russia’s “accretion” with the Arctic is clearly visible in terms of the implementation of the region’s defense potential. Formation of Arctic brigades, the Trefoil base on one of the islands of the Franz Josef Archipelago, the latest radar surveillance systems for sea and airspace, special Arctic all-terrain vehicles and anti-aircraft missile systems capable of operating in the most severe cold.
Judging by the resonance in the foreign press, for many observers the landing of an entire brigade in thirty-degree frost was a big surprise. This event suggests that Moscow, if necessary, can deploy significant forces anywhere in the Arctic within 48 to 72 hours. And not only Russian.
According to foreign analysts, by 2030, Russia’s icebreaker fleet will number more than a hundred ships, including the newest icebreakers “Arktika” (make passage in ice thicker than three meters) and nuclear-powered icebreakers of the “Leader” type, already under construction, capable of breaking Arctic ice and providing navigation convoys even in winter.
Observers are also watching with interest Russia’s implementation of a unique Arctic floating scientific platform, which could become a harbinger of a military “hub” deployed in polar waters at minimal cost. In case lovers of global dominance begin to artificially warm up the military-political situation around the Arctic.
In general, military experts have long noted that in the Arctic, power will belong to the side that provides reliable communications and logistics, and will not just indicate a presence from time to time.
If we take this nuance into account, Russia, with its Arctic coastline of 11 thousand km, is already doing well. All that remains is to consolidate and develop our success, and even global competitors will not catch up with us.
Growing with the Arctic: How Russia Will Become No. 1 in the North