Russia's Arctic 'sea grab'

With the polar ice caps melting there is now a competition to claim areas of the Arctic in an attempt to claim oil and gas deposits.\

Russia's About To Annex 380,000 Square Miles Of The Arctic Sea

Russia is expected within months to claim to the United Nations its right to annex about 380,000 square miles of the Arctic.

Christian Science Monitor

Aug. 15, 2011, 9:03 AM

In a multinational race to seize the potential riches of the formerly icebound Arctic, being laid bare by global warming, Russia is the early favorite.

Within the next year, the Kremlin is expected to make its claim to the United Nations in a bold move to annex about 380,000 square miles of the internationally owned Arctic to Russian control. At stake is an estimated one-quarter of all the world's untapped hydrocarbon reserves, abundant fisheries, and a freshly opened route that will cut nearly a third off the shipping time from Asia to Europe.

The global Arctic scramble kicked off in 2007 when Russian explorer Artur Chilingarov planted his country's flag beneath the North Pole. "The Arctic is Russian," he said. "Now we must prove the North Pole is an extension of the Russian landmass."

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