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Nature and EnvironmentRussian Federation

The Arctic - Putin’s New Frontier

November 17, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin is laying claim to 1.2 million square kilometers in the Arctic.

https://p.dw.com/p/4Xaka
Doku Die Arktis - Putins neue Grenzverschiebung?
Image: Java

His main objectives appear to be the colonization of the Arctic and of the North Pole. It’s a project more than 20 years in the making.

Doku Die Arktis - Putins neue Grenzverschiebung?
Image: Java

This area, which remains virtually unexploited, is one of the last El Dorados on the planet. The subsoil is full of oil, gas, rare earths and precious minerals like gold, uranium, and copper. With global warming and the melting of the ocean’s ice, these riches are now more accessible, fueling the greed of major Western powers.

 

 

Doku Die Arktis - Putins neue Grenzverschiebung?
Image: Java

 

But in this conquest of the Arctic, Russia already has a head start. For years, the country has been equipped with gigantic nuclear-powered icebreakers, which have been used to help navigate the icy waters surrounding the North Pole. In addition, Vladimir Putin has invested in extraordinary industrial projects.

 

 

Doku Die Arktis - Putins neue Grenzverschiebung?
Image: Java

One such project is an enormous gas processing plant anchored in the permafrost; another is the construction of an incredible floating nuclear power plant intended to supply energy to Pevek, a small, isolated port north of the polar circle. These are but a few examples of the Russian leader’s flagship projects, in this new conquest of the Arctic.

 

 

 

Doku Die Arktis - Putins neue Grenzverschiebung?
Image: Java

For Moscow, this policy also involves a militarization of the region. Fearful of these expansionist ambitions, NATO decided to react by sending a strong message to the Russian President. The Atlantic Alliance recently gathered of an army of 35,000 men in Norway to show that it could repel a possible Russian invasion at any given time.

 

 

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