Publication details
Russian Military Build-up in the Arctic : Strategic Shift in the Balance of Power or Bellicose Rhetoric Only?
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Description | The Arctic has been playing a central role in Russia’s identity and economic development. On the naval-strategic level, the most relevant for Moscow is maintaining the credibility of nuclear deterrence as well as securing strategic submarines’ open access to the world’s seas, and in the theoretical case of largescale European war, the Russian Navy’s strategic objective would be to interrupt the connection between Europe and North America (the latter was more eminent during the Cold War, but still it is a part of Russian strategic thinking and objectives). Besides that, recent developments show that the Arctic’s importance for Russia is not only growing but also widening, and new sectors have been gradually added. Moscow’s strategic goal is to establish Russia as a preeminent Arctic nation, which is eminently clear through its political, economic, and military means to “defend” its interest. As part of its effort to create a comprehensive presence in the Arctic, Russia has been steadily expanding its military component there since 2007. However, these movements are primarily focused on the protection of coastlines and offshore energy extraction installations, search-and-rescue operations, and icebreaker capabilities, and therefore should not be seen strictly as an militarization of the region. The occasional assertive statements by Russian representatives are more tailored for domestic audiences rather than threatening factor to the other Arctic states. More substantive signals of Russian intent would be its refusal to recognize the decisions or authority of international organizations in the Arctic, or its withdrawal from such organizations. In observing Russian activities in the Arctic, it is important to analyze the relevance of these statements to map it in that framework and wider context. This paper will focus on the relevance and substance of the abovementioned developments. |