Vladimir Putin had Russian flag planted under Arctic in major territorial claim | World | News
Unlike the vast majority of the planet, the high Arctic is an internationally neutral zone. There is no single country that owns the North Pole; instead, it is divided by land or water within 200 nautical miles of its coast into eight Arctic states: Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the United States (via Alaska), and Russia. The area beyond these Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), including the Arctic, is considered international waters open to navigation by all nations.
Importantly, much of the central Arctic Ocean’s seabed remains the subject of international law and competing claims, particularly with respect to potential oil, gas and mineral resources. But climate change has triggered an unusual level of activity in the remote region, with governance suddenly thrown into question as Russia is isolated by its war in Ukraine. The conflict jeopardized the low-conflict status quo, threatening the cooperation that had existed since the end of the Cold War.
Russia’s latest Arctic strategy, outlined in the 2035 Arctic Strategy, focuses on ambitious economic development, such as the Northern Sea Route, significant military build-up, and consolidation of federal control. Vladimir Putin is rapidly expanding his military presence there, reopening Cold War bases, increasing troop levels and strengthening air defenses to counter perceived NATO threats and protect its territory.
However, this is not the first time Moscow has sparked controversy in the Arctic region. On August 2, 2007, a Russian expedition known as Arktika 2007 witnessed the first-ever crewed descent to the ocean floor in the Arctic. Six explorers led by Artur Chilingarov used MIR submarines. In addition to dropping the titanium tube with the Russian flag inside, the team also collected samples of Arctic flora and fauna and reportedly recorded videos of the dives.
A manned drifting ice station, “North Pole-35” (NP-35), was also installed.
The move was orchestrated as part of the government’s plan to claim almost half of the Arctic seabed by claiming that the Lomonosov Ridge is an extension of Russia’s continental shelf and therefore Russian territory.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ignored the criticism, saying that Russia’s claims were solid and that the truth could be revealed over time: “The purpose of this expedition is not to monitor Russia’s rights, but to prove that our shelf extends to the North Pole,” he said. “There are concrete scientific methods for this.”
In order to emphasize the importance of the move, Putin called on the members of the delegation to thank them personally. Later, in January 2008, three expedition members, including Chilingarov, were awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation “for courage and heroism shown in difficult conditions and for the successful completion of the High Latitude Arctic Deep Water Expedition.”
The move was met with criticism from other countries. Former Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said: “This is not the 15th century. You can’t go around the world and plant a flag and say, ‘We claim this territory.'”
Meanwhile, former US State Department spokesman Tom Casey stated that planting the flag “does not have any legal basis or impact on this claim.”
Then in 2018, 14 Russian sailors were killed when a fire broke out on a nuclear submarine during a top-secret mission below the North Pole. It was later revealed that the nuclear-powered AS-12 submarine, nicknamed Losharik, was spearheading Putin’s plan to claim and mine fossil fuels and precious stones beneath the Arctic ice.
More recently, last October, Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said his country was aware of Russia’s increasing weapons development on the Kola Peninsula. The peninsula is home to Russia’s Northern Fleet and is where part of the Kremlin’s nuclear arsenal is stored. Mr. Sandvik also warned that Putin wants to gain full maritime control in the Arctic region; This would make it easier for Russia to cut off NATO’s access to major shipping routes that would help resupply Western powers in wartime.
