Articles
01
The New Polarstern: A Neverending Story

After almost 30 years of distinguished service, the Council of Science and Humanities proposed a new research icebreaker to replace the Polarstern, the research vessel of the German Alfred Wegener Institute.

05 / 02 / 2025
 
02
Germany and the Arctic

Germany has been traditionally a land power. Unlike some of its neighbours such as the Netherlands, Denmark and France, which used to have remarkable overseas empires, German expansion occurred mostly by land, in particularly eastwards – see Drang nach Osten – while its colonial empire was short-lived and left few traces.

03 / 02 / 2025
 
03
Two Finnish Guys' Cold War Flight Deep Into USSR In 1976. Part 2

The true story of a Finnish pilot Kaarlo Rajala, whose career in aviation lasted more than 50 years, but by some reason he once confused the flight route.

02 / 02 / 2025
 
04
The “Battle” for Greenland

Prior to his inauguration, Donald J. Trump reiterated his proposal to purchase Greenland from the Kingdom of Denmark, an idea he first expressed during his first presidential term in 2019. Shortly after his second inauguration, the 47th President of the United States gave a phone call to the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, persistently attempting to persuade her to relinquish or sell the island.

28 / 01 / 2025
 
05
Two Finnish Guys' Cold War Flight Deep Into USSR In 1976. Part 1

As a result of a confluence of unfavorable factors in July 1976, Finnish pilot instructor Kaarlo Rajala and cadet Taito Polet, who flew from the Ivalo region in northern Finland in a light two-seater Cessna (Cessna 150 OH CBX) to the city of Kemi, located on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia, crossed the state border with the USSR and, having flown to Kandalaksha with an intermediate landing at the Soviet military airfield in Alakurtti, made an emergency landing with a nose-over on the shore of Lake Sergozero in the southeastern part of the Kola Peninsula. 

24 / 01 / 2025
 
06
NATO Expansion in the Arctic and Security Challenges for Russia

The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO became a turning point marked the fragmentation of the Arctic into two camps: Russia versus NATO. This change will decisively impact on Arctic politics including issues of security and international cooperation.

21 / 01 / 2025
 
07
Danish Expert Looks Back On The Geopolitical Role Of Greenland

Donald Trump has reiterated his desire to buy the country and this time does not reject the use of military or economic coercion if he does not get his way. In Beijing, Moscow and several other capitals, Greenland has also risen higher on the agenda in recent years.

18 / 01 / 2025
 
08
Hang-Gliding American Spy's In Soviet Arctic In 1962

In the summer of 1962, an American spy flew a first-generation hang glider to cross the Soviet-Finnish border and carry out a CIA mission to observe an important facility – the construction of the Verkhnetulomskaya hydroelectric power station, located in the western part of the Kola Peninsula.

12 / 01 / 2025
 
09
Sovereignty Through the Arctic: Chilingarov Forum’s Results

This year's forum, Arctic: Today and the Future, was held for the 14th time. The event was named after its legendary pioneer, polar explorer Artur Chilingarov. As outlined in the programme, the priority of the event focused on a 'human-centred' Arctic.

17 / 12 / 2024
 
10
Life and Times of the Finnish Icebreaking Fleet

In this second article of our series on the past, present and future of icebreakers, we focus on Finland, which has emerged as one of Europe’s leading Powers in this sphere. This status is rooted in decades of technological advancement and adaptation to Arctic conditions: Thanks to its high-quality fleet, Finland represents a global hub for icebreaker design and operations.

17 / 12 / 2024
 
11
A History of the Northern Forum

In December 1974, representatives from Canadian and U.S. subnational entities and from the capital cities of Norway, Sweden and Finland convened on the Japanese island of Sapporo for the first International Conference on Human Environment in Northern Regions.

16 / 12 / 2024
 
12
Astana and the Port of Murmansk

Strategically located between Russia, China, India and the Greater Middle East, Kazakhstan may have a bright future in what some analysts call the upcoming Asian Century. Goods can be transported in seven directions from and towards Kazakhstan (north-westwards towards European Russia, northwards towards the Arctic, north-eastwards towards Eastern Siberia and Vladivostok, eastwards towards China, southwards towards Afghanistan and Pakistan, south-westwards towards Iran and westwards towards the South Caucasus), and this would allow Kazakhstan to become the main logistical hub of Eurasia.

28 / 11 / 2024
 
13
A Discovery is like a Diamond: Oceanologist Alexander Osadchiev on Science, Arctic Research and Global Warming

The Arctic Century has interviewed Alexander Osadchiev, a Russian oceanologist, a leading researcher at the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

28 / 11 / 2024
 
14
International Cooperation Among the Arctic Indigenous Peoples

The Indigenous People of the North live in an apparently contradictory situation. Given their isolation from traditional trade routes and the harshness of the climate of the regions they live in, they never developed statal organisations, let alone imperial ones, and their land was often subject to territorial conquest by more powerful neighbours.

22 / 11 / 2024
 
15
Trump Policy Threats the Europeans and Gives Russia a Breath?

The concept of 'carbon-free vessels', which are expected by the IMO leadership and like-minded western counterparts to be capable of navigating the cold Arctic seas, is experiencing difficulty after change of American administration in January 2025. Within a debate on the relative merits of Western and non-Western approaches to Arctic shipping and maritime routes development, this field is facing increased regulatory scrutiny in the final months of the outgoing year, driven by the imperative to decarbonize. It is reasonable to say that a view on shipping decarbonization will hardly bring about any radical change in U.S.-Russia relations, but it appears that the Europeans may become dissatisfied due to the absence of U.S. advocacy on this matter.

21 / 11 / 2024
 
16
Icebreakers Matter: The US’s Fragile Fleet

This article, part of what we’d like to call “the icebreaker series,” aims to explore the state of the most relevant Arctic nations’ icebreaker fleets, assessing their current status, historical context and future possible development plans. We pick up where our previous discussion left off, turning our focus back to the United States; a global Superpower, yet, rather “mysteriously,” one still far from real Arctic dominance.

14 / 11 / 2024
 
17
The U.S. Wants & Wishes in the Arctic: Alliances, Arms Trade, Data Sharing

Since 1945, the US has pursued a grand strategy that prioritizes building and maintaining its unrivaled network of allies and partners. This approach was temporarily replaced during the Trump administration with its “America first” policy, which adopted a more questioning and confrontational tone. However, since President Biden took office in 2021, the United States has reverted to a more traditional approach, emphasizing the importance of alliances and efforts to deepen and expand them. The 2022 National Defense Strategy and the 2024 Department of Defense (DoD) Strategy for the Arctic consider the U.S. friends a "center of gravity," indeed, a term in military planning jargon, thus embedding American national security interests on “globe-spanning network of alliances and partnerships”. The point is that these documents articulate the security cooperation entails formal alliances, multilateral coalitions, and military-to-military engagements among nation-states.

30 / 10 / 2024
 
18
Europe's Energy Shift, LNG and Russia’s Cumbersome Presence

For decades, Europe’s energy landscape has been tightly tied to its reliance on imported natural gas, with Russia historically serving as its primary supplier. Since the early 2000s, Russia has cemented its dominance in the European gas market, leveraging its extensive pipeline network to deliver gas to industries and households across the continent.

28 / 10 / 2024
 
19
Italy Strengthens its Arctic Footprint at the 11th Arctic Circle Assembly

In Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, the 11th edition of the Arctic Circle Assembly – the premier annual event focused on the Arctic – has come to an end. This year’s gathering, like the previous ones, brought together dozens of nations, hundreds of institutions and universities and thousands of participants. The Italian Osservatorio Artico magazine was present too, with three accredited journalists covering the event.

25 / 10 / 2024
 
20
Supporting Arctic Indigenous Peoples: A Comparison Between Russia and Anglo-Saxon Countries

During the latest decades, a number of challenges have been emerging, which have the potential to destroy not only Indigenous people's traditional lifestyle, but also their mere existence as separate groups, making them susceptible of assimilation or marginalisation. Let's check the different approaches to the problem.

22 / 10 / 2024
 
21
Novatek's LNG Projects Halted, What's Next?

As sanctions against Novatek projects become a certainty, the company has put two LNG projects on hold. However, the company will likely reprofile.

17 / 10 / 2024
 
22
Climate Change and the Arctic: A Perspective from the Global South

The two Polar Regions, the Antarctica and the Arctic play a critical role in maintaining earth’s temperature as they have a central role in maintain global climate system. However, in recent some decades, the Arctic has been experiencing heat at a faster rate than the rest of the world.

17 / 10 / 2024
 
23
Drones in the Arctic: A New Technological Era

As the Petrozavodsk State University announces a new overwater drone, we review the model and the history behind drones in the Arctic.

10 / 10 / 2024
 
24
A New Icebreaker Fleet: The U.S. Response to the Russian Readiness

In recent years, the Arctic region has gained unprecedented strategic importance due to climate change, which is opening new maritime routes and making previously inaccessible natural resources available. In this context, the recent alliance between the United States, Canada, and Finland – recently admitted to NATO – known as the “ICE Pact,” represents a potentially significant turning point in the global competition for control of the Arctic.

10 / 10 / 2024
 
25
On the New U.S. Military Strategy in the Arctic

The new military strategy prompts a number of questions: to what extent it helps to solve accumulated problems?  What is the fundamental novelty of this strategy? What challenges it creates for Russia's security in the High North?

08 / 10 / 2024
 
26
‘Hunting a Good Life’: Approaching Social Programmes in the North on Deeper Levels

Although the Arctic generally offers harsh climatic conditions and higher living costs, people still migrate to the region. We examine the economic and social aspects that stimulate migration to the North and can serve as a foundation for future migration programmes, publicity campaigns, and increasing the appeal of Arctic imagery.

04 / 10 / 2024
 
27
Far From Home: Italy’s Research Ambitions in Frozen Waters

By leading the High North mission, Italy is not only contributing to scientific research but also strengthening its strategic role in a region of growing importance.

01 / 10 / 2024
 
28
Following the Eastern Economic Forum—Results for the Arctic

Summarising the results of the Eastern Economic Forum and later confirmed projects: a new port for the Northern Sea Route, Rosatom’s plans for new icebreakers, ‘Northern Supply’, and more.

17 / 09 / 2024
 
29
A New Overview On Discrimination Against the Sámi

Discrimination against the Sámi remains a widespread problem that occurs in many social areas. This is shown in a quick overview from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), which has mapped the research available on harassment and discrimination against the Sámi in Norway, Sweden and Finland in the period 2014–2024.

03 / 09 / 2024
 
30
Kalix Line – The Most Powerful Arctic Defense Line

The Kalix Line was a defensive zone in Sweden, located between the Torne and Kalix Rivers. It was designed to prevent or delay a potential Soviet invasion. Its construction began during the Second World War until the 1990s when it was dismantled.

01 / 09 / 2024