Russia submits Arctic claims to UN

Russia has submitted its bid for vast territories in the Arctic to the United Nations, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry said in a statement that Russia is claiming 1.2 million square kilometres (over 463,000 square miles) of Artic sea shelf extending more than 350 nautical miles (about 650 kilometres) from the shore.

Russia, the US, Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, which is believed to hold up to a quarter of the planet's undiscovered oil and gas. Rivalry for Arctic resources has intensified as shrinking polar ice is opening new opportunities for exploration.

Russia was the first to submit its claim in 2002, but the UN sent it back for lack of evidence.

The ministry said that the resubmitted bid contains new arguments. "Ample scientific data collected in years of Arctic research are used to back the Russian claim," it said.

In 2007, Moscow staked a symbolic claim to the Arctic seabed by dropping a canister containing the Russian flag on the ocean floor from a submarine at the North Pole.

Russia's foreign ministry said the submission had "priority" status and expected it to be reviewed by the UN commission in the coming months.

‘War games’

President Vladimir Putin has strengthened Russia's focus on the Arctic in recent years amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.

The effort has included the restoration of a Soviet-era military base on the New Siberian Islands and other military outposts in the Arctic. Russian officials said the facilities are crucial for protecting shipping routes that link Europe with the Pacific region across the Arctic Ocean.

The Russian government established a special commission for Arctic development this year to oversee economic projects and national security in the region.

Russia also held war games in the region, involving 38,000 servicemen, more than 50 surface ships and submarines and 110 aircraft.

Last week, it announced that its revised navy doctrine would be heavily concentrated on the Arctic area.