Note from the author: I wrote earlier this month about my belief that Rosatom has connections to Russian intelligence organizations. The article sparked a threat from Rosatom’s PR agency to take legal action. Please see that article for more background on this matter. It is important that I make it explicitly clear that in my writings about Rosatom I am expressing my opinion.
National Security Advisor John Bolton officially notified the Russian government during his trip to Moscow this week that the U.S. is pulling out of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. America and NATO are tired of Russian cheating on the INF. Although he did not discuss it publicly, it is likely that Russian Arctic aggression was also on his agenda.
“… it is naïve to accept Rosatom simply as a Russian energy company.”
In 2007 Vladimir Putin gave a seminal speech at the Munich Conference. Old Cold Warriors were shocked at the imperialist overtones they heard, that others were oblivious to. They heard Putin embracing the adversarial, expansionist Soviet view of the world.
Russian Arctic Aggression
The 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia is usually cited as the confirmation of the expansionist policy. But Putin’s neo-imperialism was first manifest in 2007, in the Arctic. That summer, Russian explorer Artur Chilingarov planted the Russian flag under the North Pole, claiming,“The Arctic is Russian. We must prove the North Pole is an extension of the Russian coastal shelf.”
“The Arctic is Russian. We must prove the North Pole is an extension of the Russian coastal shelf.”
Chilingarov received prestigious awards from Putin, whose imperialist land grabbing ambitions were unleashed. Putin saw himself as the Russian leader who prevented the disintegration of Russia: he had prevented the secession of Chechnya, Tatarstan and other regions. He had asserted federal power over all Russia, the Federation was united, and it was to expand Russia.
The Arctic was a resource-rich area that could be added to his balance sheet. It also could serve as a strategic beachhead for Russian military and nuclear capabilities. Establishing a close-range threat to the U.S. and its NATO allies would create geopolitical leverage for Putin.
Rosatom’s Critical Role
But Putin needed the right military, nuclear and intelligence conglomerate to pursue his imperialist dream. During the course of 2007 and 2008, he abolished the Federal Atomic Agency and combined it with military research and testing institutions, to form a new state corporation: Rosatom. He also transferred the nuclear icebreaker fleet to a Rosatom-controlled entity called Rosatomflot.
- In 2011 the company’s icebreaker led an expedition that attempted to prove Russian territorial claims farther into the Arctic Circle than ever in history, on the underwater Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges north of Franz Jozef Land. This would allow Russia to develop minerals and gas and oil reserves in the heart of the Arctic Circle. Putin said at the time that Russia would not back down from those territorial claims.
- In 2017 Russia built the new Arctic Trefoil Military Base, one of six new military bases dominating the Arctic region. None of these bases would be possible without Rosatomflot’s icebreakers carving out channels for ships to access the otherwise inaccessible areas.
- Russia has been developing unmanned underwater vehicles for military and research purposes in the Arctic for several years. Russian news agency Tass reported that the vehicles will be critical for underwater operations including drilling and construction in the Arctic. Tass quoted Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin predicting that entire underwater cities would be built using the technology.
Rogozin was responsible for overseeing the projects as Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the Defense Industry. He was also head of the Russian Arctic Commission.
Rosatom key to Russian Arctic Policy
The importance of Russian Arctic policy was stressed by Nikolay Patrushev, head of the Russian Federation Security Council when he convened the International Meeting of Representatives of Arctic Countries in 2017. In his speech he stated his priority for the Arctic:
“First, we need to continue building an effective security architecture that will be a guarantee against any attempts to destabilize the region. Arctic countries speak different languages, but it is in our power to ensure that the language of threats and ultimatums are never voiced in the North.” In spite of the flowery diplomatic language, his message was clear: Russia intends to build an Arctic security architecture that will prevent ‘instability’ (such as rival territorial claims).
“First, we need to continue building an effective security architecture….”
Patrushev specifically praised Rosatomflot’s nuclear icebreaking ships, calling them unparalleled anywhere in the world. Without them, Russia cannot achieve dominance in the Arctic.
The Arctic is Becoming a Conflict Zone
The Arctic doesn’t have to be a conflict zone, however. Since Peter the Great, Russia has contributed to European science, exploration and culture. Russian achievements in the Arctic could be a shared platform for cooperation with NATO allies to advance the economic development for Russia and international partners.
NATO is beefing up its presence in the Arctic to deter Putin’s imperialism.
Instead, Putin has elected to use the Arctic as a military project to threaten the West. He is bringing military capabilities – potentially nuclear capabilities – closer to Western borders. The North Pole is less than 2,000 miles from Anchorage, Alaska – roughly twice the distance Soviet missiles in Cuba were from Washington, DC in October 1962.
NATO is beefing up its presence in the Arctic to deter Putin’s imperialism. I wrote last year about the decision to reopen Keflavik Naval Air Station to monitor Russian submarine traffic through the GIUK gap. In October and November of 2018, the U.S. Navy is participating in massive NATO exercises that include sending carrier-based planes into the Arctic for the first time in nearly 30 years. And in August of this year, the Navy restored the 2nd Fleet to patrol the Atlantic Ocean, including the far north.
“I believe that Rosatom has a threefold nature – civilian, military, and intelligence – in everything it does.”
Restoring naval power and presence is important, but it is not sufficient by itself. American and our NATO allies also must curtail the vital instrument without which Putin cannot militarize the Arctic: Rosatom. It is my belief that Rosatomflot has enabled the logistics of claiming territory and building military bases in the Arctic. It is the sine qua non of Russia’s Arctic presence.
The United States should use every instrument it has to bring international attention to this state-owned company. I believe that Rosatom has a threefold nature – civilian, military, and intelligence – in everything it does. Until Russia restores Rosatom to its pre-2007 structure, I urge the U.S. and our allies to treat it as a military and intelligence entity. I believe it is naïve to accept Rosatom simply as a Russian energy company.
