Russia roams Arctic

摘要

Climate change is bad news for most of us, but it is helping Russia boost its status as a naval power. Last week a flotilla of Russian navy vessels completed a voyage across the Arctic Ocean. The Russian Ministry of Defence has since announced that this was the first of what will be regular patrols of newly accessible shipping lanes. The lanes are now open during the summer owing to receding sea ice, and provide a maritime shortcut between northern Asia and western Europe. Given the risk of smuggling along its lengthy Arctic coast, it is natural for Russia to want to bolster its naval presence here, says Michael Byers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.