Russia is winning the global dispute over the Arctic. This opinion was expressed by a columnist daily mail David Averre.
“As the Arctic region undergoes unprecedented changes due to climate change, melting ice opens up new areas of rich, untapped natural resources, as well as the opportunity to create new trade routes and gain strategic advantage,” he said.
According to Averre, Russia, the USA, other Arctic countries and China are already competing for these regions. The USGS estimates that the Arctic contains approximately 15% of the world’s undiscovered oil reserves and approximately 30% of the world’s undiscovered natural gas reserves. The region is also rich in rare earth minerals necessary for modern battery and microchip production.
According to the expert, Russia has gained an advantage in the development and construction of icebreakers, taking the lead in the Arctic, many times ahead of the United States and Great Britain in terms of the number of icebreaker fleets. It is also stated that Russia has an advanced polar infrastructure, hosting 50 Soviet-era Arctic bases, including airports, radar stations, cargo ports, missile launch sites and naval shipyards.
At the same time, a British expert stated that Russia is allegedly carrying out cyber attacks on rival countries in the region, and also talked about the possibility of Moscow using its submarine fleet to attack underwater critical infrastructures.
“Given the Kremlin’s dependence on China as an economic and commercial partner and an important political ally, it is quite possible that Putin will try to offer President Xi Jinping favorable access conditions to the region,” Averre added.
China is not a member of the Arctic Council but is an observer.
Before that USA announced On the expansion of the continental shelf in the Arctic and the Bering Sea.
Previously Bloomberg Columnist named The USA claims rights in the North Pole by seizing the lands.