Ukraine Crisis has Ripple Effects in the High North

No sooner have we lifted our gaze towards a Corona-free horizon, the next crisis is ready to strike. The High North lies far away from Ukraine, yet as we border on Russia, the crisis is tangibly felt here too.

Right now, Russia’s Northern Fleet participates in a larger Russian marine exercise taking place both in the Barents Sea as well as the world’s oceans.

“The Fleet’s exercises open up for rare insights into Russian calculations of Russian calculations of the future trajectory of the Ukraine conflict”, argues Researcher Ina Holst-Pedersen Kvam at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy.

Dialogue and preparations

Researchers Jeremy Greenwood at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. fears that dialogue between the parties will not be successful:

“While dialogue with one’s strategic rivals (and enemies) remains a vital diplomatic tool, it is unclear that any new military security dialogue with Russia in the Arctic would advance the cause of peace or deconflict any military activity in the region”, he writes in an op-ed.

Our Editor-in-Chief Arne O. Holm also writes about the Ukraine crisis in his Friday commentary this week. The week after PM Jonas Gahr Støre’s visit to the White House, the editor-in-chief argues that his next trip should go to Finnmark.

“After all, it is in the north that we share border with Russia”, Holm writes.

And next year, Norway takes over chairmanship of the Arctic Council from Russia.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already started preparing to take over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2023, having held its first out of some 60 input meetings.

NSR and hydrogen at sea

The Northeast Passage saw heavy traffic last year. In 2021, almost 35 million tons of cargo were shipped along the Northern Sea Route. There was also record-high transit traffic along the NSR.

And there are green news from the public transport sector in Northern Norway. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Torghatten Nord have signed an agreement about Norway’s first full-scale hydrogen ferries.

Arctic cultural heritage

Denmark’s Ministry of Culture reports that the Danish National Museum will transfer ownership of a unique Sami drum to the indigenous RiddoDuottar Museat in Karasjok, Norway.

Danish and Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz Larsen argues that this is an important step in recognizing the cultural heritage of the Arctic countries.

And some happy news at the end, even though the pandemic as well as the Ukraine crisis are bound to be mentioned here too:

Not only will there be a Kirkenes Conference in 2022, it will also be an in-person conference in Kirkenes on 23 and 24 February.

Perhaps we’ll see you in Kirkenes, Corona willing!

All that remains now is to wish you all the best for the weekend, the final one in January. Thank you for following us!
Trine Jonassen,
News Editor, High North News