Arctic military and industrial: all the features of the state programs of the Russian Federation. Russian Arctic strategy

Russia, as it became known at the end of October, continues to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic. It is obvious that the maximum control of this particular part of the planet is a priority task.

During the Cold War, the Arctic was of strategic interest to the great powers. The North Pole route was the shortest route from the US to the Soviet Union, ideal for strategic bombers and ballistic missiles. Later, the Arctic became interesting for submarines, which, under the cover of ice, could approach the coast of a hypothetical enemy. Only a very inhospitable nature prevented the mass deployment of military bases here.

Today, the melting of a huge area of ​​Arctic ice allows sober eyes to look into the near future. So, by 2050, the ice will become 30% thinner, and their volume will decrease by 15-40% during this time. Thanks to this, the naval forces will be able to operate in the Arctic for a significant part of the year.

Such consequences will lead to the emergence of new routes connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Climate change will make it possible to use these routes for shipping all year round. As a result, the importance of the Suez and Panama Canals in the shipping system will be significantly reduced.

At present, such a rapid military build-up by Russia is not a coincidence. A purposeful set of measures is aimed at “reacting” and “strongly defending” (if necessary) their rights to one or another “piece of the Arctic pie”. It is hard to believe in such a scenario. If only because today only the United States can compete with Russia in military superiority, and they have significantly lost their superiority, throwing money at the creation and support of other structures ...

In addition, at a time when the states were building aircraft carriers, Russia was building icebreakers and submarines.

Somehow, having stumbled upon another custom article, I was surprised at how sophisticated / perversely they compare the naval power of the United States and Russia. And these miracle kids, reputed to be military experts, naturally estimated the balance of power in favor of the United States, and took as a basis one of the most irrefutable criteria - the number of aircraft carriers and destroyers on both sides. The United States has more than 10 aircraft carriers, while Russia has only 1.

Whereas there are only 3 icebreakers in the USA and two of them are in a deplorable state. And according to some sources, Russia has them from 27 to 41 in media sources.

So, back to our sheep - to the "battle for the Arctic". It is very naive to believe that the United States can somehow resist the military power and superiority of Russia. But let's assume a different scenario.

It is known that in addition to the United States and Russia, other states (Canada, Denmark, Norway), whose military power is significantly weaker than the two superpowers, have also designated a significant part of their presence. In total - 5 countries that openly declared their intentions to "milk the natural resources of the Arctic". Is it a lot or a little? And what will happen if these countries want to combine their military presence and try to clash with Russia? Simply, at the level of fantasy. To begin with, consider the positions and presence on the mainland itself.

Source: AIF

Norway. A country that passes a law in 2105 obliging even women to serve, a country where the Minister of Defense is also a woman (Anne-Grete Ström-Eriksen), a country that sold Russia a key submarine base (Olafsvern) near the Russian border - No! Norway will never go against Russia. In addition, the budget of Norway for the modernization of military power until 2020 (not yet approved), equal to $ 20 billion and the budget of Russia by the same year of $ 340 billion, which has already been approved - all this suggests that the country will not dare to expose its Scandinavian muscles against a real military monster, constantly causing fear near the border sea territories. It is quite obvious that having staked out such a fat piece in the Arctic region, the country is unlikely to want to go against a strong and big neighbor. On the contrary - quieter than water, lower than grass, otherwise Olafsvern ...

Olavsvern underground military base

By the way, the reaction of local residents, who are not too worried, is curious:

“We hope that the new owner will bring as many boats to Olafsvern as possible, which will benefit the local economy,” says Tromsø Mayor Jens Johan Hjort. Hjorth admits that this may seem strange given that Olafsvern was a top-secret facility only a few years ago, "but on the other hand, it's good that the facility can be profitable."

Denmark. This small country has enough of its own territorial problems - they cannot agree with Great Britain, Ireland and Iceland, whose continental shelf is Rokople and the shelf of the Faroe Islands.

In September 2008, Russia adopted the "Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the period up to 2020 and beyond" and became the first Arctic state to develop its long-term strategy for the Arctic region. The example of Russia was followed by other Arctic countries. Denmark was one of the last in this chain., whose government, in agreement with the self-government bodies of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, in August 2011 approved the "Strategy of the Kingdom of Denmark in relation to the Arctic for 2011-2020."

It should be noted that the main vector of the Danish Arctic strategy, the object of the declared steps, is Greenland, ensuring its economic growth, protecting the ecology of the island and adjacent waters, and promoting the socio-economic development of the indigenous population. This approach seems to be quite justified, since it is Greenland that is Denmark's "window" to the Arctic, a factor that allows the Kingdom to be classified as an Arctic state.

Danish Foreign Minister Christian Jensen warned that the Arctic risks becoming the next, after Ukraine and Syria, a platform for renewed Russian assertiveness on the international stage.

Nevertheless, Denmark does not have the means to confront Russia, even having united with other states, so to speak, with friends in misfortune. Some experts stated the opposite - about the intention of the Danish authorities to follow the path of peaceful cooperation with the Russians. I wonder what other way we can talk about at all - catch fish and you will be happy.

Regarding Canada- they have their own territorial problems with the United States, but not so large-scale as to take up arms against each other.

About where in the Beaufort Sea should be the maritime border between Canada and the United States, countries have been arguing for about 30 years. In 1985, Ottawa decided to give the Northwest Passage (including the Beaufort Sea) the status of inland waters, which was not recognized by Washington. According to meteorologists, as the process of global warming develops, the route around Greenland - through the Baffin and Beaufort Seas - may become an alternative to the Pacific routes. But there is no doubt about the friendship of these two countries - sooner or later they will come to an agreement. Well, as usual - some will politely ask, others will humbly give ...

Canada in general is one of those countries that historically does not have its own opinion and in every possible way agrees with its ambitious neighbor brothers. In addition, the Canadian-Danish territorial conflict has not been settled.

Denmark and Canada dispute the ownership of Hansa Island (Turkupaluk), located in the ice of the Northwest Passage connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The island is a three-kilometer strip of uninhabited ice-covered rocks. By itself, it has no value, but the state that manages to get its property will also gain control over the strategically important Northwest Passage.

Previously, this ice-covered strait was of little interest to anyone, but global warming will make it navigable in the summer months in a couple of decades. Thus, the Northwest Passage will shorten routes between continents for several days, and the state that will receive ownership of this strait will be able to earn additional billions of dollars a year.

Russia and military presence in the Arctic

Russia is interested in the Arctic for many reasons. One of the main ones is material. The region is believed to contain 30% of the world's undiscovered gas and 13% of oil (USGS estimate). These resources, among other things, could become a potential source of investment in the Russian economy. The Northern Sea Route passing through the Arctic (a record 4 million tons of cargo was transported along it in 2014) also contains economic potential, including for the development of the northern regions of Russia.

The Arctic is also important for another reason. It is located between the United States and Russia, which makes it strategically important in the event of a hypothetical confrontation (the region is patrolled by Tu-95 strategic bombers from the Russian side, and it was also decided to send Borey class strategic missile carriers armed with Bulava missiles).

In the coming years, the militarization of the Arctic will remain a priority for Russia - one of its elements will be the creation of a permanent base for the Northern Fleet on the New Siberian Islands. However, the main tasks of Moscow, as expected, will still be demonstrating its presence in the region and monitoring the actions of competitors.

Undoubtedly, Russia wants to dominate the Arctic, and for this it will need bases. It is already known today that due to NATO's growing interest in the region, old Soviet bases that have fallen into disrepair are being revived. An airfield has already been prepared on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, which is capable of receiving combat aircraft, and part of the Northern Fleet has already made the islands its base. That's not all. Russia is creating a network of Arctic bases in the Arctic, where it will permanently deploy submarines and surface ships.

As of the end of October, the construction of the Arctic Shamrock complex, designed for 150 people, is being completed, which should become part of the base on the island of Alexandra Land (the Franz Josef Land archipelago).

The construction of the Northern Clover base on Kotelny Island continues. It is planned to fully complete the creation of the Arctic group, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, by 2018 - by this time several more bases will be deployed, as well as airfields located in the region will be reconstructed.

According to military expert Dmitry Litovkin:

“Tanks, heavy artillery and armored fighting vehicles will not be in the Arctic garrisons - they are useless there, they are not adapted to moving in deep snow, and there are no offensive tasks for them. If necessary, paratroopers will fly to the rescue of the defenders ... "(landing, including on Kotelny Island, has already been practiced in the exercises).

At the moment, Russia is creating 10 Arctic search stations, 16 ports, 13 airfields and 10 air defense stations in the Arctic. This year, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed Decree No. 822-r on the resumption of research in the region. Drifting stations that were closed in 2013 will resume their work. 250 million rubles have been allocated from the federal budget for this purpose.

Russian bases in the Arctic (red are under construction and existing, orange are those that can be expanded/improved)

Resources of the Arctic

Oil and gas fields in many regions of the world are in a phase of depletion. The Arctic, on the other hand, remains one of the few areas on the planet where energy companies have almost no active mining. This is due to severe climatic conditions, which made it difficult to extract resources.

Meanwhile, up to 25% of the world's hydrocarbon reserves are concentrated in the Arctic. According to the US Geological Survey, the region contains 90 billion barrels of oil, 47.3 trillion cubic meters. m of gas and 44 billion barrels of gas condensate. Control over these reserves will allow the Arctic states to ensure high growth rates of national economies in the future.

In the continental part of the Arctic there are rich reserves of gold, diamonds, mercury, tungsten and rare earth metals, without which technologies of the fifth and sixth technological order are impossible.

Obviously, there is something to fight for. And the reasons for the militarization of the Arctic regions are fully justified... The main thing is that "facilities" allocated from the budget for such important strategic projects throughout the country, “did not sink like the Russian Empire once off the coast of America” ... However, we will talk about this story later ...

At the end of last month, the press service of the Security Council of the Russian Federation circulated a message in which it focuses on the fact that the “Fundamentals of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the period until 2020”, posted on the official website of the Russian Security Council, do not imply militarization of the region. “The question of the militarization of the Arctic is not worth it,” the report noted. “The emphasis is on creating an actively functioning coast guard system, advancing the development of the border infrastructure of the Russian Arctic zone, the forces and means of border agencies, as well as maintaining the necessary grouping of general-purpose troops of the Russian Armed Forces.” As follows from the text of the message, "one of the main goals of this work is to increase the effectiveness of interaction with the border agencies of neighboring states on the fight against terrorism at sea, the suppression of smuggling, illegal migration, and the protection of aquatic biological resources."

The ATTENTION that is being paid today in the field of military security and protection of the State Border of the Russian Federation to the Arctic zone is not accidental. It is due to the role that the Arctic is acquiring in world politics. First of all, we are talking about large reserves of oil and natural gas on the ocean shelf, as well as control over new transport routes that will become available as global warming continues.

Geologists from all Arctic countries agree that hydrocarbon reserves in the Arctic zone will be enough for the economies of the leading Western countries for many years. Thus, according to the results of research by the US Geological Survey, northern latitudes may contain 90 billion barrels of oil (over 12 billion tons). This is enough to meet the needs of the US economy for 12 years. In addition, the Arctic has huge reserves of natural gas, which scientists estimate at 47.3 trillion. cubic meters. Russian experts believe that these estimates even somewhat underestimate the true reserves of hydrocarbons on the shelf of the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic, in their opinion, in terms of potential resources is five times richer than the Pacific Ocean and 1.5-2 times richer than the Atlantic and Indian.

According to US geologists, among the sectors of the Arctic, the largest total reserves are in the West Siberian basin - 3.6 billion barrels of oil, 18.4 trillion. cubic meters of gas and 20 billion barrels of gas condensate. It is followed by the Arctic shelf of Alaska (29 billion barrels of oil, 6.1 trillion cubic meters of gas and 5 billion barrels of gas condensate) and the eastern part of the Barents Sea (7.4 billion barrels of oil, 8.97 trillion cubic meters of gas and 1 .4 billion barrels of gas condensate).

Naturally, the question arises as to who will manage these resources. Five Arctic states can claim the subsoil of the Arctic - Denmark, Norway, the USA, Canada and Russia, which has the largest hydrocarbon reserves among the Arctic countries (according to American estimates, the areas that the Russian Federation already owns or claims account for about 60 percent of the total reserves ).

And it is not surprising that Russia was the first to attend to the legal registration of its rights to the seabed. Back in 2001, Moscow filed an application for its part, which includes the Lomonosov Ridge. But UN officials have demanded more convincing data on the geology of the seafloor. In 2007, Russian scientists conducted additional research using deep-sea submersibles and planted a Russian flag made of titanium alloy on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean near the pole. It was a purely symbolic action, which nevertheless caused an extremely painful reaction in the West.

Meanwhile, according to the director of the Institute of Oil and Gas Problems Anatoly Dmitrievsky, “back in the 20s of the last century, the union of eight Arctic states recognized that the wedge from the edge of the Russian border to the North Pole belongs to our country. According to modern data from our scientists, this entire territory is indeed a continuation of our continental structures, and therefore the Russian Federation may well claim to develop the oil reserves of this region.”

In MAY last year, Ilulissat (Greenland) hosted an international conference on the problems of the Arctic. It was attended by representatives of five countries of the Arctic basin (Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov). The results of the meeting showed that there are no grounds for the hysteria whipped up by some Western media and predictions of the inevitability of military clashes. The conference participants signed a declaration in which the parties expressed their desire to resolve all disputes at the negotiating table in strict accordance with international laws.

“The five nations have declared,” Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller said, “that they will act in strict accordance with the laws. I hope we have once and for all destroyed the myths about the fierce struggle that unfolded for the North Pole. Sergey Lavrov adhered to a similar point of view: “We do not share the alarming forecasts regarding the upcoming clash of interests of the Arctic states, almost the future “battle for the Arctic”, in the face of warming, which facilitates access to growing natural resources and transport routes.”

Indeed, there are no grounds for excitement in the section of the Arctic resources. Already today there are international rules that make it possible to determine who has rights to which area. On the whole, the contours of the future section are clear. Last year, researchers from the University of Durham, UK, already mapped out areas where the claims of the Arctic countries are undeniable, and those for which the lawyers will fight. In addition, the map shows two separate areas, called "zones" - they lie outside the water areas claimed by individual states and will be used in the interests of all countries. The main disputes will unfold on the basis of the conclusions of geologists regarding the structure of the continental shelf and the belonging of the Lomonosov Ridge.

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Prior to World War II, any state with access to the sea had the sovereign right to a strip of water along its coastline. Then it was measured by the range of the core, but over time, its width was 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers). In 1982, 119 countries signed the International Convention on the Law of the Sea (entered into force in 1994). The US Congress has not yet ratified it, expressing fears about the possible "infringement" of sovereignty and national interests. According to the convention, there is the concept of territorial waters. This is a water belt up to 12 nautical miles wide adjacent to the land territory of the state. The outer boundary of this sea (ocean) belt is the state boundary. The coastal states also have the right to an exclusive economic zone, which is outside the territorial waters, and its width should not exceed 200 nautical miles (370 km). In such zones, states have limited sovereignty: they have exclusive rights to fishing and mining, but they are forbidden to obstruct the passage of ships of other countries.

The CONVENTION on the Law of the Sea (Article 76) provides for the possibility of extending the exclusive economic zone beyond 200 miles if the state proves that the ocean floor is a natural extension of its land territory. With this article of the convention in mind, today scientists from three countries - Russia, Denmark and Canada - are trying to collect geological evidence that the Lomonosov Ridge - an underwater mountain range stretching 1,800 km from Siberia across the North Pole to Greenland - belongs to their country. Russian geologists claim, referring to the analysis of samples taken from the ocean floor, that the Lomonosov Ridge is connected with the Siberian continental platform (which means that it is an “extension” of Russia). The Danes, in turn, believe that the ridge is connected with Greenland. Canadians are talking about the Lomonosov Ridge as the underwater continental part of North America.

Canadian and Danish scientists launched a joint exploration mission last month to determine the limits of North America's continental shelf. They gathered in a camp on Ward Hunt Island - the extreme northern point of Canada, from where the expedition started. From this island, a group of scientists fly in a helicopter equipped with a sonar. The second group on a specially equipped DC-3 aircraft with a range of about 800 kilometers will carry out gravimetric measurements in the Arctic territory, including at the North Pole (gravimetry is the measurement of the slightest fluctuations in gravity to obtain information about the density of rocks at different points on the surface and their geological properties - A.D.).

With this method, Canadian and Danish scientists want to obtain evidence that the North American continental platform, which includes the northern Canadian islands and Greenland (an autonomous province of Denmark), extends far into the center of the Arctic Ocean. This will mean that the continuation of the North American continental platform is the underwater Lomonosov Ridge and the Alpha Ridge parallel to it, which passes into the Mendeleev Ridge in the east.

It should be noted that in international law there were precedents for expanding the rights to the continental shelf beyond the boundaries of the 200-mile exclusive economic zone. The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf has already legitimized Australia's claims to 2.5 million square kilometers of the Antarctic shelf, while Ireland received 56 thousand square kilometers of the shelf in the Arctic latitudes.

Of course, one must rely on the fairness of the decision of the UN Commission regarding the dispute over the Arctic territories (Lomonosov Ridge, etc.), given the fact that all decisions in the world community are still made with an eye to the ratio of the military and economic potentials of the parties. It can even be said that international law is, in part, the "will of the strong" raised to the law. The framework of the world structure of current international relations was determined by the victorious powers in World War II, with the decisive role of the United States, which then incredibly strengthened in world politics. The experience of recent history also teaches that the United States "forgets" about international law and the UN when it fails to get the decisions they need through the UN Security Council. This was the case during the military operation against Yugoslavia in 1999 and against Iraq in 2003.

THEREFORE, the concern of the Russian Federation about its military capabilities to ensure its state interests in the Arctic zone is quite justified, especially since the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway are striving to pursue a coordinated policy to prevent Russia from accessing the resources of the Arctic shelf. "Fundamentals of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the period up to 2020", approved on September 18, 2008 by the President of the Russian Federation, provides for "creating a grouping of general-purpose troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies, primarily border agencies, in the Arctic zone Russian Federation capable of ensuring military security in various conditions of the military-political situation.

The Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is the country's strategic resource base for solving the problems of socio-economic development. Its protection requires an actively functioning coast guard system of the FSB of the Russian Federation. The Arctic strategy of Russia is supposed to develop the border infrastructure and technically re-equip the border authorities to create a system of integrated control over the surface situation and strengthen state control over fishing activities in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. For border guards, in particular, new ice-class ships with helicopters on board are needed.

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Russia claims 18 percent of the Arctic territory as its own, with a border length of 20,000 kilometers. Its continental shelf may contain about a quarter of all offshore hydrocarbon reserves in the world. Currently, 22 percent of all Russian exports are produced in the Arctic region. The largest oil and gas regions are located here - West Siberian, Timan-Pechora and East Siberian. The extraction of rare and precious metals is developed in the Arctic regions. About 90% of nickel and cobalt, 60% of copper, 96% of platinoids are mined in the region.

The presence of ships of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy in the Arctic regions, including in the Svalbard region, flights over the Arctic Ocean of long-range combat aircraft serve in the current conditions as tools to ensure the national interests of the Russian Federation. This is also required by the increasing military activity in the Arctic of other circumpolar states. The Russian Navy is also actively involved in civilian programs for studying the World Ocean and determining the boundaries of the Russian continental shelf in the Arctic. In conditions of ice covering a significant part of the Arctic, first of all, deep-sea submersibles can work effectively. For this, it is possible to use both remote-controlled vehicles with a large immersion depth and submarines.

AMONG the national interests of Russia is the use of the Northern Sea Route as a national unified transport communication of the Russian Federation in the Arctic. The Northern Sea Route (sometimes called the Northeast Passage - by analogy with the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean) is able to link together European and Far Eastern shipping routes. Now the length of the route between Europe and Asia (Rotterdam - Tokyo) through the Suez Canal is 21.1 thousand kilometers. The Northwest Passage reduces this route to 15.9 thousand km, the Northern Sea Route - to 14.1 thousand km.

It is estimated that the passage of ships along the Russian Northern Sea Route (NSR) allows for a 40 percent reduction in cargo delivery time compared to traditional routes. There are forecasts according to which by 2015 the total volume of traffic along the NSR may actually increase to 15 million tons per year (now more than 2 million tons of cargo is transported along the Northern Sea Route, but three times more is required for self-sufficiency and development of the route).

With the improvement of conditions for navigation (according to forecasts, by 2020 up to 6 months a year), there are also considerable dangers. The Northern Sea Route is on the globalist agenda. Transnational corporations and the financial circles behind them are tempted to internationalize this "corridor" along the Arctic coast of Russia under the plausible pretext of its modernization and ensuring the safety of navigation (there is a reason: old mines, pirates, ice danger, etc.). It must be frankly admitted that after the collapse of the USSR, little was done to maintain the infrastructure of this sea route in a normal state. Many port facilities are abandoned, navigation and rescue services have degraded, and human resources have been lost. All this is a pretext for a tough conversation with Russia if it weakens in the conditions of the beginning of the global financial crisis. It cannot be ruled out that the West will try to turn the Northern Sea Route, passing next to the richest oil and natural gas deposits, into an international sea route, removing it from the jurisdiction of Russia ...

"Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the period up to 2020" timely formulate the Arctic strategy of Russia, which will have to be implemented in the coming years, unfortunately, in the complicated financial and economic conditions. The development of the Arctic is objectively one of the vital priorities of the Russian state.

In the Vkontaktovskaya group NORDAVIA - Regional Airlines posted a message: Quote:

New flight: Murmansk - Arktika - Arkhangelsk. Currently, tour operators and government officials are actively discussing the development of Arctic tourism. In particular, a completely new route is being discussed - tourists arrive in Murmansk, from where they go to the expanses of the Russian Arctic, and end their journey in Arkhangelsk. We believe that this direction of tourism is very promising, and therefore we carried out a set of works to study the capabilities of the Boeing 737 aircraft in terms of landing on the Arctic ice. There is a successful experience in the world of such operation of aircraft of this type, on the basis of which we made a decision on the possibility of such flights. The north is perhaps the most underestimated region by tourists. It is full of majestic beauty, tranquility and grace. At the same time, its effective development has always been associated with aviation, and its modern development has made flights over the Arctic as comfortable and safe as in other parts of our planet. In the near future we will complete all agreements with tour operators, and the new product will be offered to potential consumers. Explore the beauty of the North with us!

Most people took it as an April Fool's joke. Yes, maybe the administrators of the group themselves created this message as a banter. Although, someone believed, deciding that flights were planned as far as the North Pole itself. But that's not the point. It turns out that people don't know that there really are flights to the Arctic? After all, what is included in the Arctic region of Russia: The Arctic zone of Russia is a part of the Arctic, which is under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. The structure of the Arctic zone of Russia includes such territories of the subjects of the Russian Federation as the Kola, Lovozersky, Pechenga regions, the closed administrative-territorial formations of Zaozersk, Ostrovnoy, Skalisty, Snezhnogorsk, cities. Polyarny and Severomorsk of the Murmansk region, Murmansk; Belomorsky district of the Republic of Karelia, Nenets Autonomous Okrug; Mezensky, Leshukonsky, Onega, Pinezhsky, Primorsky, Solovetsky districts, Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk; Vorkuta, Republic of Komi; Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug; Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug; Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory; Allaikhovsky, Abysky, Bulunsky, Verkhnekolymsky, Nizhnekolymsky, Oleneksky, Ust-Yansky, Gorny uluses of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia); Chukotka Autonomous District; Olyutorsky district of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug. Okay, Vorkuta, Naryan-Mar ... But for example, to Amderma, Tiksi, Anadyr - passenger planes fly only this way, and this is the same as the Arctic, without any there. Do people not know about this? Or does the Arctic consider only the North Pole, but the FJL with Wrangel, Taimyr and Novaya Zemlya? Or maybe it is necessary to directly compose "tourist products" and announce "here is an opportunity for you to fly to the Arctic" so that people get it?

The Russian Federation intends to allocate 160 billion by 2025 for the second and third stages of the state program for the development of the Arctic. According to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, Russia will adopt a state program for the socio-economic development of the Arctic in a new edition and with an extended deadline.

Medvedev noted that the financing will be carried out in three stages: “This is the formation of points of economic growth in the Arctic regions, the so-called support zones. This is the further development of the Northern Sea Route, the infrastructure that would provide navigation in the water area. Another direction is the development of the continental shelf with the help of modern techniques and technologies.

The Arctic has traditionally been called the world's treasure trove of hydrocarbons. The territory of the Arctic shelf of Russia, the boundaries of which are approved by international agreements, is 4.1 million square kilometers: this is approximately the territory of the entire European Union. According to leading expert of the Union of Oil and Gas Producers Rustam Tankaev,, is two million square kilometers.

"It is now impossible to extract any kind of hydrocarbon raw materials, oil or gas, on the shelf: there are no technologies. But in order to live normally tomorrow, you need to prepare for this today. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the shelf for the development of not only hydrocarbon raw materials, but and other types of minerals. To work effectively on the shelf, you need equipment. Neither we nor our neighbors have such equipment," says Tankaev. Nevertheless, in Roslyakovo near Murmansk and at the Zvezda shipyard in the Bolshoy Kamen Bay near Vladivostok, Rosneft has already begun construction of two huge research and production centers and infrastructure, auxiliary vessels. They are located at different ends of the Northern Sea Route.

Tankaev adds that in terms of technology development, our country is in the best position among the Arctic states precisely because it has the Northern Sea Route - the source of payback for all projects. “The first thing that can be done with oil and gas fields on the Arctic coast of Russia, and on the shallow shelf is the bunkering of ships. This is the production of fuel and the bunkering of ships that go along the Northern Sea Route. This is an insanely profitable thing,” the expert notes.

In turn, in early August, it became known that the Ministry of Economic Development had developed a state one, according to which eight nuclear-powered icebreakers would be built in Russia by 2035. The construction of new ships of the nuclear fleet is needed for year-long navigation along the Northern Sea Route and for expeditions in the Arctic. It is reported that "the need for ships to work on the Northern Sea Route is formed by Russian oil and gas companies."

According to Tankaev, the number of cargoes transported along the Northern Sea Route is growing very quickly, but "no one knows how many of them will be in the end, but there are plans that can be implemented. Now it is about four million tons a year, it is planned to increase up to 70-80 million tons per year.

Also in May of this year, it became known that the new Russian patrol icebreakers of project 23550 "Ivan Papanin" will be armed with cruise missiles. This is an ice-class patrol ship that can perform combat missions in permafrost conditions - on ice up to one and a half meters thick. According to editor-in-chief of the magazine "National Defense" Igor Korotchenko, the icebreaker can also perform shock combat functions: "Convoying, escorting, if necessary, striking at targets - and all this in the conditions of the Arctic. In this regard, there are no such developments anywhere else."

, " Russia does not threaten anyone, but it will defend its Arctic borders." "We are demonstrating the seriousness of our intentions precisely in the creation of Arctic military icebreakers. Of course, this will be a unique class of ships within the Northern Fleet. Perhaps not in the short term, but in the future, it will be possible to talk about the creation of the Arctic military fleet - not the northern, but the Arctic," says Perendzhiev.

In a commentary for the readers of Pravda.Ru, the Soviet and Russian researcher of the Arctic and Antarctic, a prominent Russian oceanologist Artur Chilingarov emphasized that the allocation of 160 billion for the Arctic development program is not only a very necessary, but also a timely event. Now, when new nuclear-powered icebreakers are being built, geological exploration is underway, and the development of hydrocarbon shelves, such decisions from the country's leadership are simply necessary. Russia is investing not only in a prosperous present, but also for many years to come - in a brighter future, Chilingarov added.

"Russia is developing the Arctic for peaceful purposes. We have been waiting for this decision, and I know that the state strongly supports the elimination of all the problems that exist in the Arctic," the scientist concluded.