The country seeks to improve its security

Mar 28, 2009 10:03 GMT  ·  By
Russian soldiers will be deployed in greater numbers in several key regions in the Arctic
   Russian soldiers will be deployed in greater numbers in several key regions in the Arctic

According to a new strategic plan currently under consideration in the Kremlin, the Russian Federation now plans to create a new strategic task force that would serve the sole purpose of protecting the nation's interests in the disputed Arctic region. Over the years, the country has made it pretty clear that it plans to have a strong presence in the region, having even planted a symbolic underwater flag deep under the exact geographic North Pole, in a move that worried the international community.

If the new set of measures passes, then concerns may grow even more, political and military analysts warn. The main drive behind Russia's new effort is the fact that the region reportedly holds approximately 25 percent of the world's yet-undiscovered natural gas and oil reserves, a treasure that will most likely spark conflicts in the future, between the main actors that have borders with the region. Countries such as Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark and the US have already laid claims to certain territories in the area, and diplomatic negotiations on the issues at hand are currently underway.  

President Dmitry Medvedev signed the document as early as last September, and the presidential Security Council released it soon afterwards, but it wasn't until yesterday that the media got a hold of it. The move is not appreciated by all the other countries involved in the negotiations, as each of them is trying to assert jurisdiction over at least some part of the Arctic. Another thing of strategic importance in the area is the fact that global warming and climate change are driving more and more sheets of ice to melt, with devastating consequences for the environment.  

But the meltdown also opens up new shipping lanes and other commercial routes, a thing that may shorten traveled distances considerably. Naturally, each of the nations involved in the negotiations are seeking to have control over at least one of these new lanes, as taxing commercial ships that go through it could increase national revenues substantially. The Russian document seems to be the most straightforward approach on the issue, as it says that Kremlin must consider the Arctic as its “top strategic resource base” by 2020.  

Though it may sound harmless, in diplomatic terms this is a very strong statement. It is also doubled by executive orders, which hold that the guards currently stationed in the area need to be significantly reinforced, and that their equipment needs to be updated as well, so as to handle any potential threat they may encounter. The paper also states that, by 2011, Russia needs to have already completed geological surveys in certain areas, and that it must by that time get international recognition of its control over the selected spots.  

Navy officials also say that nuclear submarines from the Northern Fleet will also be deployed in the Arctic, in an attempt to support Russian efforts and claims. "The increased NATO activities in the Arctic could erode constructive cooperation between littoral nations," Andrei Nesterenko, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on Thursday, referring to a potential NATO exercise in Norway.