russia Is Losing the Arctic Race

russia is losing the competition for the Arctic. The rf’s fleet of icebreakers is rapidly aging – at least three icebreakers will reach the end of their service life in the next two years. Since the beginning  of the full-scale war against Ukraine, the aggressor country has commissioned only one ice-class nuclear vessel. International sanctions, the lack of modern technology in russia, and financing problems are negating russia’s ability to be a modern Arctic power.

Approximately one-third of russia’s operational icebreakers were built in Finland. In total, 60 % of the world’s icebreakers are produced in Finnish shipyards, and 80 % are designed by Finnish companies. After the sanctions were imposed, russia tried to find other shipbuilders, including South Korea. But they also refused  exactly because of the sanctions.

russia is trying to stay afloat in the Arctic by extending the service life of its nuclear-powered ships. This is risky, as a reactor accident could cause an environmental disaster similar to the Chornobyl catastrophe. However, the term for the “Yamal” nuclear icebreaker has already been extended twice, while  the latest extension for the “Vaygach” and “Taymyr” will expire next year.

Under the “leader” project, the rf  planned to build three icebreakers by 2032 that would be capable of breaking through multi-year ice more than four meters thick. In 2023, putin reduced the plans to one ship. Its cost is 127 billion rubles, which corresponds to the annual budget of the Kamchatka Territory. The icebreaker is scheduled to be commissioned in 2030, but russia will  hardly  manage to bring this project to completion.