Russia's Naval Doctrine: "Conquest of the Arctic"
Written by Bodo Bost for Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung.
For decades, the Arctic has been a zone of peaceful cooperation, where regional interests have taken precedence over external tensions. But as the Ukraine war rages on, President Vladimir Putin promulgated a new Russian naval doctrine in which he devotes an important chapter to "conquest of the Arctic."
Putin put the new naval doctrine into effect on Naval Forces Day on July 31 in St. Petersburg. The naval doctrine, renewed for the first time since 2015, is not least a declaration of war on the West. The Arctic "is developing into a region of international competition, not only in economic terms, but also in military terms," says the document. Russia's sea borders, including those in the Arctic and the Black Sea, are being redefined in the doctrine. The 55-page paper stated that the so-called US quest for dominance of the world's oceans was a "challenge to Russia's national security." Before his speech, Putin inspected a parade of ships on a boat during a trip from Kronstadt to St. Petersburg.
The Kremlin sees the climate-related ice melt, which is described as a catastrophe in this country [Germany], as a great opportunity to exploit the North Pole's underwater resources and develop a trade route.
In the Arctic, Moscow also wants to “fully develop” the Northern Sea Trade Route, also known as the Northeast Passage. This route, opened up by climate change and the melting of the pack ice, connects Europe with Asia along the Russian coast and shortens the previous route through the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good Hope many times over. Above all, this will decisively shorten China's sea routes to Europe.
In October 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev gave a speech in Murmansk in the middle of the Cold War, laying the foundation for more than three decades of peaceful cooperation in the Arctic. "May the North Pole become the Pole of Peace," he proclaimed. Thus was born the myth of the "Arctic Exception," an idea that the far north was a zone where outside disturbances would never hamper cooperation between riparian states.
With this in mind, the Arctic Council was founded in 1996. This intergovernmental forum was intended to promote "the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development in the region". Military questions were left out.
Until recently, nothing could shake this “Arctic Exception”. The shock of the Ukraine war ended the Arctic exception. In early March, Arctic Council member states (excluding Russia) issued a joint statement condemning the invasion of Ukraine. Russia owns 53 percent of the Arctic coastline and remains the dominant power in this region, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. This paralyzes the Arctic Council, which requires unanimity to make decisions.
With the upcoming accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, all member states of the Arctic Council are NATO members, with the exception of Russia. Moscow has already taken precautions, with Russia reopening several Cold War-era military posts in the Arctic in recent years, where it is testing hypersonic ballistic missiles and nuclear torpedoes. In addition, Russia, like NATO, increasingly conducted military exercises in the Arctic. The progressive melting of the ice will remove the natural defenses of the Arctic states and open up new sea routes over which new issues will arise.
According to a 2008 study by the US Geological Survey, the region hosts 13 percent of the world's oil reserves and 30 percent of the world's gas reserves. Their subsoil is also rich in rare earths, the metals used to manufacture high-performance products. When the Arctic Council announced that it would temporarily suspend cooperation with Russia, Moscow took note and made it clear that it intends to continue its economic development programs in the region. For Russia, the financial and economic exploitation of the Arctic is crucial, environmental issues are irrelevant.
Source: Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung
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