Last fall, Russia presented an ambitious plan to build a Svalbard science center in the ghost town of Piramiden, bringing together participants from countries the Kremlin government considers friends.
These plans are now detailed in a series of articles in the emerging journal. Russky Vestnik Spitsbergen conferences in universities and other fields; In other words, the new plan includes:
- The main scientific center will be located at the Pyramid and departments will be established in Gourmand, Coles Bay and Barentsburg.
- Both field research and hands-on learning for summer and winter students.
- Research interests include ethnology and humanities, culture and history, paleography, and medical biology.
- A consortium consisting of research and educational institutions and organizations from friendly countries will be established.
- BRICS+ members can team up, including new members invited in January 2024, including authoritarian oil states Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
These areas of research contradict Norway's informal guidelines for science for international actors in Svalbard, which are limited to the natural sciences. Climate change, space, geology, glaciology, marine biology, and more.
Russia's plans will be considered ahead of the Norwegian government's new white paper on Svalbard policy, which will be submitted to parliament later this spring. For Oslo, relations with Russia, a signatory to the 1920 Treaty of Svalbard, are a growing concern.
Meanwhile, Trust Arktikgor, the state-owned company that runs all of Moscow's operations in Svalbard, is pushing forward with its historical narrative about the Arctic archipelago's Pomor settlers and Soviet-era mining pride.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Barentsburg, Russia's main city in the archipelago, conferences were held in Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, St. Petersburg and Moscow in March this year.
“This strong promotion of Russia's historical presence in Svalbard through lectures, documentaries, exhibitions, historical road signs, etc. has been increasing over the past two years, including the raising of the Russian Orthodox cross on the Pyramids and the Navy Day. “It's a continuation of what we saw in the parade,” says Kari Aga Myklbost, professor of Russian studies and history at the Norwegian Arctic University UiT.
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With the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Trust Arktikgor and the Russian Consulate General in Barentsburg even introduced a May 9 parade with their own military style.
Russian treasure chest
Professor Michaelbost said the strategy was primarily aimed at a domestic Russian audience, presenting a narrative that Svalbard was a treasure trove of Russian cultural heritage and Soviet nostalgia.
“All this is part of a strategy to strengthen Russia's presence in Svalbard today by mobilizing the Soviet and Russian past and using historical narratives to attract Russian citizens and attract them to Svalbard. It should be read,” says Kali Aga Michaelbost.
The development of the new science center is presented as a continuation of that, she says. Otetestvennaya naukais a Russian study and will be attended by representatives of so-called “friendly countries.”
Norway is not included in Russia's list of cooperation partners. Last fall, Oslo was downgraded from “unfriendly” to “very unfriendly” by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Trust Arktikugol's new key educational partners from January 2024 include the Moscow State University of Humanities and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). The latter teaches the bulk of Russian diplomats and is the main propagator of Putin's imperial narrative.
“In today's new geopolitical environment, where Russia is engaged in what Moscow calls an existential war with Western groups in Ukraine, stoking the enemy's perception among domestic audiences is key for the Kremlin,” Mikel said. Professor Bost explains.
She sees a clear trend that Russia is aiming to undermine Norway's position on Svalbard.
“As the strategic importance of Svalbard grows for Russia, Russia's increased presence is increasingly used to criticize Norwegian jurisdiction and portray Norway as unfair and anti-Russian, and both countries There is reason to believe that this may be an attempt to undermine Norway's standing in both countries.'' In the eyes of the Russian public and the international community. ”
However, Myklebost emphasizes that the majority of Trust Arktikugol's activities fall within the scope of legitimate and benign activities.
“Yet some of them are openly exploring the limits of Norway's jurisdiction,” she says.
Moscow's hybrid strategy
Polar geopolitics expert Elizabeth Buchanan warned against Moscow's hybrid strategy in Svalbard even before the outbreak of all-out war against Ukraine.
“We should expect more rattling of swords,” Buchanan said in 2021, but added: “Russia is not trying to annex Svalbard. Russia doesn't want that kind of fight.” emphasized.
Today, she told the Barents Observer that Svalbard's role as an Arctic flashpoint is growing as the strategic environment changes and tensions rise.
“Russia has maintained its strategic interests in Svalbard pursuant to status quo agreements for the past several decades. This is of paramount importance given the geographical proximity to the submarine center's base on the Kola Peninsula,'' Buchanan explains.
“Keeping Svalbard demilitarized in accordance with the spirit of the Treaty of Svalbard is a key strategic objective for Russia.'' The second principle is “Securing free and fair access for Russians to Svalbard.'' “That,” she says.
Elizabeth Buchanan works with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and is the author of this book. Red North Pole – Russia's strategy under Putin.
According to Buchanan, securing access for Russians to Svalbard appears to be a recent focus for the Kremlin.
“Maintaining a permanent presence, and indeed the strengthening of Russia's presence in Svalbard in recent years, poses an asymmetric security challenge for Norway.”
She said that what we are now seeing is “Russia operating the Svalbard Treaty and its provisions in a kind of 'court' fashion to legitimize its interests and presence in Svalbard.” “It's about being there.”
Buchanan says the situation is complicated by the fact that China is also increasing its presence in Svalbard in ways permitted by the treaty.
“As both Russia and China grapple with the treaty to maintain their presence and look at ways to step up their activities under the enforced line of violating the treaty, Norway has a number of sinister issues to contend with. I have a problem.”
In 2018, when Norway was considering a new research strategy for Svalbard, China expressed its desire to conduct social science on Svalbard, but Norway said no. With Russia's new initiative, the demand could be raised again as a joint initiative between Russia and China.
Like Russia, China also signed the Treaty of Svalbard.
Sightseeing on 'must-see' list
Elizabeth Buchanan says Russia's recently announced unilateral tourism program should be watched closely.
“This has the potential to be used to ‘resettle’ Soviet-era Svalbard outposts. This is related to broader developments, including Moscow's legal signals that it will fight to “defend” Russian citizens wherever they are in the world. ”
As the Barents Observer recently reported, Russia is aiming to launch a direct voyage carrying tourists from Murmansk to Barentsburg.
