Commentary
Russia-China Partnership Is More Complex Than It Seems
Since the 1970s, American diplomats have expressed concerns regarding whether the partnership between Russia and China is merely a pragmatic alliance or one of a more strategic nature. The 2024 Pentagon Arctic Strategy, a policy document developed under the Biden administration and currently in effect, designates the Arctic region as critical for homeland defense and...
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Central Asia and the Arctic: Russia’s Global REM-Project
On February 4–5, 2026, the second international B5+1 business forum was held in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, bringing together business and government representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as the United States. The B5+1 forum format grew out of the C5+1 forum, which was founded in 2015 to advance US...
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Yakutia Is Supposed to Remain a Donor of Oxygen for the Global Community
Six regions of Russia, including the Arkhangelsk Oblast, Yakutia, and Komi (which are partially located in the Russian Arctic Zone), must become carbon neutral starting in 2026. This scales up the experience of Sakhalin, which managed to achieve a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and absorption in 2025. Commenting is Mikhail Cherosov, Director of the...
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How Yakutia Can Achieve Carbon Neutrality
The Sakhalin experiment proved the effectiveness of certain approaches. Now, its results need to be adapted for a vast region, comparable in area to India or Europe, with its unique ecosystems and economic structure. February 24, 2026 Russia has mandated that six of its regions, encompassing territories of Arkhangelsk region, Yakutia, and Komi, to achieve...
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Why Is Washington Openly Disregarding International Law in the Greenland Issue?
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly and publicly mentioned plans to bring Greenland under US control — “one way or another,” whether through purchase or by force. Why is he pursuing this, and what could it mean for international cooperation in the Arctic? Dr. Andrey Krivorotov, Doctor of Economics, Acting Head of the Department of...
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Maksim Dankin Supposes the Rise of Two Dominant Powers in the Arctic
February 5, 2026 Why is the world now seriously looking at the North, how has Greenland become a point where the interests of the USA, Europe, Russia, and China converge, and why is melting ice changing not just the map but the very logic of world politics? In early February, Maksim Dankin, General Director of...
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Proxy Governance Model for Greenland: An Option for the U.S. Foreign Policy?
Alexander Pilyasov, Doctor of Science (Geography) and Professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University, proposes that Donald Trump could leverage proxy organizations to manage economic activities and resources in Greenland. Drawing on historical precedents such as the Hudson’s Bay Company, the East India Company, and the Tennessee Valley Corporation, Dr. Pilyasov highlights the effectiveness of this...
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Russian Arctic Shipping Ambitions: International Perspectives and Future Scenarios
What do Russia’s international partners care about the most if the utilization of northern maritime corridors is concerned? What are the possible scenarios for the evolution of the NSR and the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor through 2035? Maksim Dankin, Director General of PORA, has noted that the future of these corridors will significantly depend on international...
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