News & Views on the Russian presence within the Arctic Circle
28 August 2009
The saga of the rescue of personell from ice-station 36 ran from mid through to late August, dominating Russian Arctic news. The ice-breaker Yamal went to the rescue of a number of scientists (estimate no 18) from a drifting ice-station – station no. 36, but there were other elements to the story. There can be no doubt that the feat of sailing here is impressive, also the... Read More...
27 August 2009
Such is the claim made in Морские-вести. As well as reversing decades of economic decline the issue will ‘решить судьбоносные проблемы территориальной целостности страны’ – decide the fate of the country. The real development of the NSR is also seemingly contrasted with the mere symbolism of dropping... Read More...
27 August 2009
Energy-Land.info has recently reported on one lesser known aspect of Russia’s northern policy – the use of a floating nuclear power plant to power up centres of population, presumably working in remote areas on Russia’s new arctic north. The story about Проекту ПАТЭС has been running for some months, but now Energy-land is reporting that the reactor has now... Read More...
26 August 2009
Прайм-тасс reports on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s visits to Vienna, Oslo, Svalbard and Geneva. Under the auspices of the World Metereological Organization, the content of any discussions was not initially reported. The BBC subsequently reported on the visit of the UN Secretary-General to Norway in the context of the Copenhagen discussions on a successor international... Read More...
18 August 2009
Вовремя.info reported on a meeting between German Chancellor Merkel and Russian President Medvedev in Sochi. Among matters discussed was a specialised ship being built by Germany for Gazprom. The ship is called ‘Nornekelya ‘and can operate without the assistance of ice-breakers. As the article notes the ship is strategically essential for Germany, which wishes to become... Read More...
14 August 2009
Вести.ru reported on American scientists observations of the continuing thinning ice in the Arctic region. The article concluded with the following statement: ‘если эта неблагоприятная тенденция будет прогрессировать, то неизбежны пагубные последствия не только для местной, но... Read More...
10 August 2009
In early August many agencies reported on a scientific expedition to the North using ice-breakers. For the first time, it seemed that the Russian press was becoming alert to the North American angle on the issue. корреспондент wrote of the struggle for energy resources and the launching of a joint USA-Canadian expedition to map the continental shelf. In the following... Read More...
6 August 2009
Комсомолслфя праида report on a radio interview (and the interview itself is available) with Anatoly Kolodkin a Russian Professor of International Law, one involved with the United Nations Tribunal on Martime Law. He states that there are no particular threats to the security of the Arctic states and that there are many legal and political tribunals in which to resolve... Read More...
6 August 2009
Inofox.ru reports on remarks made by the Russian Ambassador to Canada that the planned Russian paratrooping onto the North Pole is merely ceremonial. Russian diplomats in Canadia have also been explaining that Russian air-force planes flying close to the Canadian border are engaged in educational - ‘ учебным’ – exercises. Read More →
4 August 2009
Красная звезда in a reversal of the usual way of thinking about things states that things are ‘heating up’ in the Arctic, that militarization continues to grow – ‘ что милитаризация Арктики будет нарастать’. The examples are all from the western side, particularly the USA and the smaller Scandinavian... Read More...
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