Russia is building military bases in the extreme north of the country and within the Arctic Ocean, with simultaneous plans to declare the Northern Sea Route, known as Russian, as sovereign waters. Newly built or Cold War-era renovated bases on Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and the New Siberian Islands will be operational year-round and reinforced with ships, submarines and aircraft from Russia's Northern Fleet to police from the Barents Sea in the west to the Bering Strait in the east. Despite being outside its 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, Russia intends to force foreign navies to request passage 45 days in advance.
Russia is building military bases in the extreme north of the country and within the Arctic Ocean, with simultaneous plans to declare the Northern Sea Route, known as Sevmorput, as sovereign waters. Newly built or Cold War-era renovated bases on Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and the New Siberian Islands will be operational year-round and reinforced with ships, submarines and aircraft from Russia's Northern Fleet to police from the Barents Sea in the west to the Bering Strait in the east. Despite being outside its 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, Russia intends to force foreign navies to request passage 45 days in advance.