The kremlin’s Arctic Trade Has Ended in a Fiasco

In 2018, in its federal address, the kremlin set a target of reaching 80 million tons of cargo transported via the Northern Sea Route by 2025. However, in 2023, 36.2 million tons passed through the Arctic, and in 2024 – 37.9 million tons. This year, 38 million tons are planned, but based on the results of the first half of the year, no more than 32 million tons of cargo per year are expected in the end.

Attempts to improve the situation by developing infrastructure have also failed. The new seaport of Lavna (Murmansk region) was supposed to start operating in 2023, but this only happened at the beginning of this year. The port’s designed capacity is 18 million tons of coal per year. At the time of commissioning, the figure was already six million tons. By the end of August 2025, Lavna had handled only eight shipments totaling 650,000 tons, meaning that the port is unfinished and unable to operate at full capacity.

For its part, the ministry for civil defence, emergency situations and disaster relief of the rf has failed to address the issue of shipping safety in the Arctic region. The emergency rescue centers promised in 2024 in Sabbet, Pevek, Dixon, and Tiksi have never begun operating. At this, there is no information about the centers in Dixon and Tiksi, not even about the start of their construction. There are also no helicopters in the region to provide assistance, should the need arise.