Foreign Media Scan (February 19th – March 6th, 2025)

Author: Bogdan Koutsenko

Key Takeaways 

• The two weeks from February 19 to March 6, 2025 saw over two hundred articles related to Russian policy in the Arctic published by major Russian news outlets.  

• Four policy areas were identified: economy, environment, military, and diplomacy. Of these four, economic issues sustained the greatest coverage in Russian media, nearly as much as the next three categories combined.  

• Transportation and logistics, housing and infrastructure, and economic development represented a few prominent subcategories. All pointed to Russia’s sustained investment in its northern supply chains.  

• Russian reporting indicates that nearly two trillion rubles will be invested in the Northern Sea Route (NSR) by 2035. 

• These efforts are undergirded by Russian investment in housing, tourism, and regional development planning, with one source reporting on the three million tourists that visited the Arctic last year and a second discussing Russia’s master plan for Arctic cities, which may see as much as 30 trillion rubles invested in the Arctic by the time all projects are implemented.  

• Looking abroad, Russia has telegraphed its ostensive desire to keep the Arctic a “conflict-free zone”, expressing a willingness to cooperate with other nations (particularly in the area of nuclear icebreakers), describing its technology buildout as the envy of other nations.  

• No less an authority than Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s Press Secretary, expressed the view that the Arctic is an important region for the future of Russia’s security, geopolitics, and wealth. At the same time, Putin himself asserts Russia’s absolute leadership in the region.  

Table 1: Transportation & Logistics  

Top Articles:   

1. “Yakutia opens biggest trade and logistics center in Arctic district.”  Source: TASS Russian News Agency  
2. “Northern Sea Route needs Arctic ship repair program.”  Source: TASS Russian News Agency  
3. “Russia is going to invest almost 2 trillion rubles in the development of the Northern Sea Route by 2035.”  Source: Izvestia  

Table 2: Technology & Innovation  

Top Articles:   

1. “Putin called Russia the absolute leader in the Arctic.”  Source: Regnum  
2. “President Vladimir Putin spoke at the plenary session of the Future Technologies forum and spoke about the unique properties of Oreshnik, the prospects for the return of Western companies, the development of high technologies and bioeconomics.”  Source: RIA Novosti   
3. “Russia is unconditional leader in the Arctic, Putin says: Many countries want to cooperate with Russia in sphere of production of nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet, the head of state noted.”Source: TASS Russian News Agency  

Table 3: Economic Development  

Top Articles:   

1. “Implementation of Arctic city master plans to be discussed at MAF-2025.” Source: Izvestia  
2. “Meeting of the State Council Commission on the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic.”  Source: Kremlin.ru  

Table 4: Tourism & Hospitality  

Top Articles:   

1. “Russian North. An increase in visits to northern territories is noted today.” Source: Argumenty i Fakty   
2. “The number of tourists in the Russian North and the Arctic for the year has been named. Chernyshenko: 3 million tourists visited the Russian North and the Arctic in 2024.” Source: Lenta   
3. “Chernyshenko announced an increase in the number of tourist trips around Russia. Chernyshenko: about three million tourists visited the Russian North and the Arctic in 2024.”  Source: RIA Novosti  

Table 5: Military Operations and Strategy  

Top Articles:   

1. “Russian Ambassador Stepanov: The Arctic should become a conflict-free zone.” Source: Lenta  
2. “The Russian Ambassador Pointed Out the Importance of Freeing the Arctic from Conflict Potential. Ambassador Stepanov: The Arctic should be a zone free of conflict potential.” Source: Izvestia  
3. “The Kremlin assessed the importance of the Arctic for Russia. Peskov: The Arctic is important for the Russian Federation from the point of view of security, geopolitics, wealth.” Source: RIA Novosti  

Table 6: Military Forces and Personnel  

Top Articles:   

1. “Putin called Russia the absolute leader in the Arctic.” Source: Regnum  
2. “Russia is unconditional leader in the Arctic, Putin says: Many countries want to cooperate with Russia in sphere of production of nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet, the head of state noted.” Source: TASS Russian News Agency  
3. “Frigate Admiral of the Fleet Kasatonov Conducted Exercises to Protect Russian Interests in the Arctic.” Source: Izvestia