Russia wants to strengthen its positions in the Arctic, according to a new Russian naval doctrine, signed Sunday by Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russian Fleet Day. The Arctic is in the process of “transforming into a region of international competition, not only from the economic point of view, but also from the military point of view”, stipulates this doctrine, signed with great fanfare as part of a naval parade in St. Petersburg.
Considering these factors, Russia will strengthen “its leading positions in the exploration and conquest of the Arctic” and its mineral deposits and ensure its “strategic stability” in the area by strengthening the military potential of the Russian Fleets of the North and the Pacific, specifies the document.
In the Arctic, the country also wants to “fully develop the Northern Sea Route”, also called the Northeast Passage, which connects Europe to Asia along the Russian coast, to transform it into a ” secure and competitive that would operate all year round”, according to the doctrine.