Russia to set up Arctic frontier posts

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Published time: April 16, 2012 09:57
Edited time: April 16, 2012 13:57

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Arctic, Military, Politics, Russia

Russia plans to establish twenty new Arctic border posts to control its Northern frontier and the Northern Sea Route.

Some 15-20 border guards will be stationed at each location to monitor the situation and take part in rescue operations if necessary, Vladimir Pronichev, the country’s Border Guard Service chief, told Izvestiya daily.

He added that some of the posts will be established near nine rescue centers of the Emergencies Ministry and the Ministry of the Transportation to be opened as part of a government plan on the development of the so-called Northern Sea Route. The rest will be set up on remote islands.

“At first glance, it seems that there is no one in the Arctic and no one can violate the border. But that’s not so,” Pronichev pointed out.

In recent years, there have been several incidents with foreign tourists illegally sailing in Russian northern waters and getting into trouble. The Russian side was obliged firstly to help them and then – fine them for breaching the border, the official recalled. In addition, there are scientific expeditions exploring the shelf without permission, as well as poachers.

The Arctic border guards will be wide-profile specialists capable of rescuing people, as well as providing maintenance work on electric and other facilities.

Currently, some 2,500 kilometers of the Northern Sea Route are not controlled by Russian radars at all, Konstantin Sivkov, first vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems told Izvestiya. Around 40 Soviet radiolocation posts were destroyed after the collapse of the USSR, he added. The shipping lane that runs across the Russian Arctic border and connects the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans is about 6,000 kilometers long. This means the new border posts will have to keep an eye on about 300 kilometers each, Sivkov said.

In February, President-elect Vladimir Putin stated in a program article that one of Russia’s goals “is the revival of a Navy capable of service in the Arctic Ocean and in the Pacific”.

“The leading military powers have intensified their activities in the Arctic, which forces Russia to secure its interests in the region,” the then candidate stressed.

Comments (7)

Russia cannot protect such large borders 17.04.2012 07:47

Its better to prepare for a war of resistance on land by placing many caches in the ground.

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Can't sell what you can't get 17.04.2012 05:54

Ricky1962 wrote in #3
The Useless States of America is already licking its lips over the resources in the Artic that they hope they can steal from Russia, Canada, and Europe. --- ------------------It 's interesting that you use the commie terms "steal, loot, plunder" when talking about extracting Arctic resources.
Given the huge amounts of technical knowledge and investment required to extract them and make them internationally marketable, and the fact that the payments from selling this oil/mineral wealth is being shared with the Russian populace, are you really sure that the US is your enemy in all this?
Because, another way you could put it is that you are all being robbed by NOT developing or having the capability of developing these resources on your own. How do you account for all this oil/mineral wealth in the Arctic still being stuck in the ground, instead of extracted and sold internationally for the benefit of Russian society as a whole?
You should attack your own government for NOT developing or being able to extract these resources on their own, then, instead of blocking US efforts to make the investments and use their technology to actually build the expensive infrastructure initially required for the Russian budget to get dime one from them.
But, no, you commies will instead try to steal or nationalize this massive investment after it is made and working, and THEN claim it belongs to "the people". Well, unfortunately, "the people" don't yet have the incentive, know how, or capability to build this kind of infrastructure without help; so perhaps give some respect for the infrastructure investment initially required for the Russian people to even derive a 1st benefit from these resources at all???

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Billy (unregistered) 17.04.2012 00:37

This step is a natural and nessesary thing to do for Russia! It is of crucial importance that this great nation, that have this enormus resources and land and sea areas to guard. And 60%+ are part of Russia! This contributes of cause even more to the great envy of some other countries. (need I mention any specific?). Another thing, is that all other nations witch borders in some way to the Arctic, they have already buildt special Task forces and are constantly patroling this areas, so it is high time now, for Russia to have both border posts and dedicated taskforces of their own, in this more and more important part of the globe! It is equaly important that there is established some means of comunications in this areas too, to avoid any misunderstandings and prevent all kinds of conflict that could evolve, and also beeing able to assist eachother in rescue operations that surely will happen here as anywhere else! But most of all, Russia must clearly mark it's areas of interest in this way!

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