Ice installation: Russia will protect freedom of navigation in the Arctic
Russia will take diplomatic and military-political measures to protect its interests in the Arctic, including those related to freedom of navigation. This was stated to Izvestia by Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov. Earlier, Ottawa announced plans to allocate $25 billion for modernization and the creation of new bases in the north of the country. Britain is creating a naval alliance of the Nordic countries, which aims to prepare for conflict with the Russian Federation by 2029. These measures may be related to Western plans to paralyze Russia's maritime trade. According to experts, the Russian Navy is able to protect logistics routes in the Arctic if necessary.
Threats to Russian shipping in the North
Russia will take all necessary measures to protect freedom of navigation in the Arctic, including military and political ones, the Russian ambassador to Canada told Izvestia.
— Russia is not afraid of saber-rattling from Canada or anyone else. While advocating for the preservation of the region as a zone of peace, sustainable development and interaction, we will continue to reliably safeguard our national and security interests, including the protection of freedom of navigation. And we will take all necessary measures for this. Both of a diplomatic and military-political nature," Oleg Stepanov said.
Earlier, Western countries announced new plans to strengthen their presence in the Arctic. At the end of April, the British authorities announced the creation of a naval alliance consisting of Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. His goal is to prepare for conflict with the Russian Federation in the Atlantic and the Far North by 2029, the commander—in-chief of the British Navy, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, openly stated.
In March, the Canadian government announced plans to allocate $25 billion to modernize military facilities in the north of the country. The bulk of the funds should go towards the development of bases in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Iqaluit, as well as the deployment of an operational base in the Labrador region. Thanks to these facilities, NATO will be able to deploy its aircraft there and detect missiles and aircraft from other countries.
According to Oleg Stepanov, the question of the sources of financing for such projects remains open. Given the increasing burden on the budget and the need to implement large-scale socio-economic programs, it is not entirely clear where the Canadian government will get the money from.
— The trend towards militarization of the Arctic by Western countries is obvious and undermines the traditionally established balance of stability in the region. For decades, the Arctic has remained a territory of cooperation and predictability. If the Western members of the currently existing Arctic Council want to follow the path of escalating tensions, they will primarily undermine their own security," the Russian Ambassador to Ottawa stressed.
The West's goal is to paralyze Russia's maritime trade, Nikolai Patrushev, assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and head of the Maritime Collegium, said in February. To do this, Western countries detain vessels that allegedly act in the interests of the Russian Federation. For example, in early May, Sweden stopped the Jin Hui ship, which was sailing under the Syrian flag.
Currently, NATO is trying to fix obstacles mainly in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, but the alliance is gradually strengthening its presence in the Arctic. For example, in February, the Arctic Sentry mission was launched to monitor Russian communications. The extra-regional powers of the bloc are pulling more and more of their troops there. The United States plans to deploy infrastructure for the Golden Dome missile defense system in Greenland.
At the same time, NATO is unlikely to decide to attack the vessels of the Russian Federation directly — they can use Ukraine for this. In April, the media reported that Kiev, with the assistance of military specialists from the Norwegian Navy, was preparing terrorist attacks against Russian ships in the Barents and Norwegian Seas.
Russian shipping in the Far North is more threatened by European Arctic NATO members and non-Arctic countries like Great Britain than Canada, which is far from the Northern Sea Route, Dmitry Volodin, a leading researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
According to him, Ottawa has recently built six ice-class patrol ships capable of operating in the Arctic, but it is unlikely to do anything alone. The reason for this is not only the fear of a Russian response. Russia and Canada consider that their jurisdiction extends to the sea lanes along their Arctic coast. Accordingly, the Russian Federation controls shipping through the Northern Sea Route, and Canada controls shipping through the Northwest Passage. Any operations against Moscow could create undesirable legal consequences for Canada in relation to the legality of its claims to the Northwest Passage, Volodin concluded.
Strengthening Russia's position in the Arctic
The volume of Russian cargo transportation through the Arctic via the Northern Sea Route in 2025 amounted to about 37.02 million tons. It is mainly provided by the Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG-2 projects, Norilsk Nickel products and other resources. Therefore, logistics through the Arctic is critically important for Moscow, especially because of the West's attempts to obstruct the Baltic and the Mediterranean.
Russia is taking the necessary measures to protect its maritime trade. Nikolai Patrushev previously reported that the Russian Navy escorted Russian-flagged vessels in the most dangerous areas of the world's oceans in 2025. The presidential aide noted that it is also possible to escort ships with firing groups and place special protective equipment on them. Just in April, the frigate Admiral Grigorovich escorted two Russian oil tankers across the English Channel.
Vladimir Shapovalov, Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, explained to Izvestia that Russia can provide military escort for civilian vessels in the Arctic if necessary. The Russian Federation has the largest icebreaking fleet in the world and continues to expand it. Back in 2022, she ordered foreign military vessels to notify 90 days in advance of the passage along the Northern Sea Route. If necessary, Russia can completely stop the passage of warships from other countries.
In any case, attempts to interfere with Russian shipping will create a threat of military conflict. Therefore, this is still an unlikely scenario — none of the parties is interested in such an outcome of events, which will mean a colossal escalation, Nikita Lipunov, a junior researcher at MGIMO, explained to Izvestia. Although there remains a risk of unintended escalation due to military incidents, all sides are exercising caution.
— Russia has significant military forces in the Arctic, primarily the Strategic Nuclear Deterrence Forces and the Northern Fleet, the most powerful in the Navy. The Russian Federation recreated the Moscow and Leningrad military districts a few years ago, meaning that we are now gradually increasing our military presence in the Northwest in response to the expansion of NATO at the expense of Finland and Sweden," the expert emphasized. — Western states are increasing their military presence in the Far North even more actively, seeking to demonstrate strength.
According to him, Britain is currently exploiting strategic uncertainty in transatlantic relations. With the reduction of the American military presence in the EU and the crisis between the White House and European capitals, the British are now seeking to seize the initiative and become the leading force on the alliance's northeastern flank. That is why London is consistently building up the potential of the Joint Expeditionary Forces, which appeared in 2014, and based on them, Britain is creating a new naval alliance.
For the Russian Federation, the Arctic is a strategic region, so Moscow will not calmly look at its militarization by NATO countries. It's not just about Russian logistics — other countries, such as China, also advocate freedom of navigation in the Far North. However, the prospects for dialogue remain unlikely. The situation could be changed by restoring the work of the Arctic Council, which was actually stopped due to Western countries. Earlier, Izvestia reported that Moscow was ready to resume paying contributions to the organization's budget. However, now the ball is on the side of other Arctic countries.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
