Posted on 09/16/2013 7:31:35 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is reopening a Soviet-era military base in the Arctic, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, part of a drive to make the northern coast a global shipping route and secure the region's vast energy resources. Two decades after abandoning it, Russia has sent 10 warships behind four nuclear-powered ice breakers to the base on the Novosibirsk Islands, a show of force as it resumes a permanent naval presence in the thawing region. The flotilla was led by Russia's flagship nuclear-powered cruiser, Peter the Great, along the Northern Sea Route, which connects Europe to Asia across Russian waters from the Kara Gate to the Bering Strait. "Our troops left there in 1993, and yet it is a very important location in the Arctic Ocean, a new stage in the development of the Northern Sea Route," Putin told a meeting of Russian defense officials.
(Excerpt) Read more at ca.news.yahoo.com ...
I guess this story answers it:
“In the meantime, Russian hawks were offered a new enemy to rail against on Sunday. Both Rossiya 1 and NTV aired lengthy segments about the dangers coming from China, with Rossiya 1 warning of Beijing’s encroachments in the Russian Arctic while NTV reported that Chinese farmers were poisoning Russian soil with illegal pesticides.”
http://world.time.com/2013/09/16/russia-celebrates-a-triumph-for-putin-after-clinching-syria-deal/
Vladimir, ol buddy, ol pal. You just showed the world, you're a smart guy. Now, don't fall for the global warming baloney.
And gentle reader, if this is a thawing region, why did the Russkies use 4 nuclear powered icebreakers? It's thawing isn't it?
Well, maybe not so much. See this post: Earth Gains A Record Amount Of Sea Ice In 2013.
If you read the article it explains that the ice free season along the coast has extended to the point where it is a viable seasonal route. But since some shippers might have worries about getting caught at the beginning or end of the season, the icebreakers would be there on a what if basis.
Gentle reader is an archaic term, like Gentle man or Gentle lady.
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