The Berlin correspondent of The Times Roger boys, specializing in Northern Europe, warns that climate change is pushing Russia on military adventures in the Arctic.
In Russia there were good kings and bad kings, and she somehow manages to love them equally.Vladimir Putin, who is not particularly worried about the love (for that he has a Labrador), I would like to go down in history more like Peter the Great than Ivan the terrible. Here’s the thing: the Tsar Peter the great wanted to use the Russian North as a springboard for global impact and to make Russia a Maritime power.
Besides, he hated the Ottoman Empire, crushed his internal opponents and the man who in the early years was his adviser, was imprisoned in a monastery (possibly referring to Princess Sophia Alekseevna, who was Regent for the young tsars Peter I and Ivan V. — Open Russia). Apparently, for Putin, Peter seems to be the perfect model of megalomania-modernizer.
Putin almost certainly will go to elections in 2018 and will almost certainly win. Then by the end of the term he will be the head of Russia a quarter of a century.
Puny Soviet teenager who grew up on the streets of the city, which has not yet become again St. Petersburg, will hold at the pinnacle of power almost as much as his beloved king (formally Peter the great reigned for 42 years, from June 1682 to January 1725, in fact, the same rules for 35 years, starting since the overthrow of Sophia in 1689. — Open Russia).
It seems that the last presidential term will be marked by one defining idea — to the approval of the Russian authorities in the Arctic. Such a goal worthy of Peter. Melting Arctic ice could alter the fate of Russia. It is believed that the region contains about 30% of the world’s undiscovered natural gas and 13% of undiscovered oil. By 2030 the Northern sea route, which now can only be used with the help of the Russian nuclear icebreakers can be a profitable alternative to the Suez canal as the route of delivery of cargoes from Asia to Europe. Travel time could be reduced by 40%, and it will bring a large profit Russia with its long Arctic coastline.
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It is the goal of Putin’s project that captures his imagination significantly more than a bloody intervention in Ukraine and Syria. We were tactical maneuvers, attempts to upset the plans of the West and to gain a temporary advantage. But the Arctic is, I think, is what really holds the thoughts of the Kremlin yard: managers of “Gazprom” and “Rosneft”, the head of Russian Railways, scouts, committed to the idea of national revival. Along with property prices in Knightsbridge (luxury area of London. — Open Russia).
The walk of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin with dogs. Photo: Alexey Druzhinin / TASS
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees Russia’s military industry, said: “We must explore the Arctic and to carry out its positive and civilized colonization”. It seems that civilization refers to the airborne troops on maneuvers preparing for the landing at the North pole. Other military exercises, seem to violate the Svalbard Treaty, which prohibits the use of ice-covered archipelago between Norway and the North pole for military purposes.
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No one takes seriously today’s resumption of the strategic talks between Russia and NATO, first meeting in 2014. Whatever may be said of NATO, Russia will do what I want.
Moscow is determined to stop any attempt of further expansion of NATO, to destabilise those countries that have already joined the Alliance, and are ready to flout international law. And it works: USA and Germany has already objected to plans for a permanent NATO base in Poland, fearing that it will upset Putin.
It is shortsighted. Russia is attacking Georgia because do not want the appearance in the Caucasus countries-NATO member. It captures the Crimea, because he knows that neither NATO nor the EU does not want permanent instability in Ukraine.
Russian planes almost touch the mast of an American warship in the Baltic sea and its submarines and then enter Swedish territorial waters, because she wants to demonstrate that the Baltic sea is the sphere of its interests.
But how big are the “backyard of Russia”? If you look at the Arctic, we have to answer: very large. The military plans of Russia concerning the Arctic relate to the European area from the Baltic to the Bering sea, washing the shores of Alaska, between them is over 5,500 km. Under Putin, Russia restores Soviet infrastructure from Murmansk in the West to Magadan in the East.
She has created Joint strategic command “North” in Severomorsk in the Barents sea and the Arctic motorized infantry brigade. Building a new icebreaker fleet. The Northern fleet during the years of high oil prices has increased to 35 submarines and 50 surface ships. Flagship, the nuclear missile cruiser — of course, was called “Peter the Great”.
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Because of the sanctions and cheaper oil Arctic program down studies become too expensive. But the militarization of the Arctic is easing. Russian forces in the region will soon become larger than the forces of all the other Arctic countries — the US, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland — combined. And function of this grouping is more than just protecting Russian economic interests on the continental shelf. On melting the North it becomes a strategic challenge and a threat to NATO. The more China will use the Northern sea route, the more the balance of Sino-Russian relations will shift in the direction of the benefit of Moscow.
Britain is not considered an Arctic nation since 1907, when Newfoundland became a dominion and she lost Labrador, but nevertheless we need to monitor closely Russia’s policy in the region. Putin is determined to take advantage of good geographical position of Russia, to make it more powerful. Given his penchant for brinkmanship, we should be ready for big trouble in the far North.
Photo screen saver: Lev Fedoseyev / TASS
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Original article: Roger boys, “Tsar Vladimir is planning an Arctic cold war”, The Times
Translation: Open Russia
