News & Views on the Russian presence within the Arctic Circle
22 April 2010
… have suddenly entered the fray. This report here is on the attempt of a yacht Peter 1st to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean without the assistance of an ice-breaker. The expedition will take place this June and will follow the northern sea route. You could almost miss the significance of this event until it is claimed that, ‘the success of the expedition will secure... Read More...
20 April 2010
In a response to the speech given in the Duma noted here, and which is repeated here, the satirists have hit back. The representative of the United Russia party was keen for all journalists and commentators to fall in behind the government’s plans for the Arctic, instead of defending terrorists who blow people up on trains. In the internet publication MKRU a fair amount of scorn... Read More...
19 April 2010
RIA Novocti has a good deal of multimedia material on the Arctic in advance of upcoming meetings, such as the Arctic Council meeting at the end of the month. There is a press conference here with Special Envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry Anton Vasiliev which will take me some time to digest and understand. In the meantime, again in line with a number of reports from recent days,... Read More...
16 April 2010
The cultural dimension of Russia’s Arctic policies is repeated again today in a debate in the Duma, underlining the almost intense ideological elements that were evident, for example, in the ‘Kraftwerk video’ (yesterday). According to Michael Nenashev, Duma Member and representative of United Russia Party it is necessary to create a common cultural position for the unification... Read More...
15 April 2010
To a background of Kratwerk’’s ‘Radioactivity’ the narrator tells the story of how Russia’s ice-breakers were the first to conquer the Arctic. Why is this of interest? First, it is an excellent piece of music. Second, there is a graphic representation and some mention of the new generation of ice-breakers. Third, this seems to be just a general kind of, dare... Read More...
12 April 2010
Deputy PM Ivanov discusses, in a t.v. debate, a new Arctic expedition here and expresses confidence that, after spending millions of roubles, the results will confirm the continuity of Russia’s continental shelf into the Arctic ocean, it will prove to be an extension of the Siberian continental shelf. The expedition will take place this year and if Russia’s case is confirmed... Read More...
10 February 2010
Under a headline about Russia’s military weakness newsland.ru discusses Russia’s military preparedness – for war and therefore for peace. The geopolitical analysis claims that the present unipolar world is unstable and compares Russia’s geopolitical position to that of Germany in the 1920s where – ‘Германская империя признала... Read More...
8 February 2010
Recent days have seen a number of contradictory arguments about what might happen to Russia under conditions of global warming. rbc.ru reports on an American study by the Pew Group which claims that melting Arctic ice will damage permafrost and create further unspecified problems, followed by a number of rather bland comments from one Alexander Bedritsky, Russian President of the WMO... Read More...
20 January 2010
‘И российское руководство владеет конфиденциальной информацией о надвигающихся катаклизмах’ …. so goes the statement in an ‘analysis‘ of the EU’s relationship with Russia. Basically, the article is suggesting that a cooling of the Gulf Stream, a weakening of the thermohaline... Read More...
9 December 2009
Artur Chilingarov talked of a new heroic age of Arctic exploration in speeches to mark Heroes of the Fatherland day (9th Dec.) at a Military Academy in Moscow. ‘«Вообще освоение Арктики – это целая героическая эпоха’, stated Chilingarov, as quoted in the always interesting полит.ru. The translation here is not that clear... Read More...
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