Russia has the largest and most advanced icebreaker fleet in the world, writes US analyst Fred Veer in an article for The Christian Science Monitor.
He cited the words of the captain of the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” Dmitry Lobusov, who said that his ship was capable of overcoming any ice obstacles. The expert noted that the icebreaker, comparable in size to a nine-story building, reached the North Pole almost 60 times during its service.
The author emphasized that the Russian company Atomflot possesses a total of five vessels of this type. According to him, the icebreaker fleet of the Russian Federation will soon become even larger by exactly five new nuclear-powered ships, twice the current size and capacity.
The journalist admits that this is a formidable symbol of Russia’s determination to continue the strategic orientation of the former USSR to dominate the Arctic.
Arctic ice is rapidly melting, revealing new sea routes and deposits of useful resources, Veer said. He stressed that Moscow is preparing for year-round activities to master these opportunities. The main stake of the Russian leadership is on the Northern Sea Route, which connects Asia and Europe, the analyst said. According to him, this state of affairs greatly worries the foreign Arctic competitors of the Russian Federation.
Russia plans to increase the size of its icebreaker fleet, the author of the material noted, referring to the words of the head of the sea operations of Atomflot, Vladimir Harutyunyan. Vir drew attention to the huge icebreakers currently under construction in the Russian Federation, against which even “50 Years of Victory” will look like a “small fry”. He added that even the prospects for global warming do not affect Moscow’s intentions to create new icebreakers, since the possibility of developing the Arctic region depends on them.