Russia getting expansionist again?

[Manstein]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2113289,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

They're going to lay claim to 460,000 square miles of the arctic. This ought to get interesting.

[Hells Angel]

I thought the arctic was "Free" territory where no one owned anything and was universally owned?

[Corporate Ignorance]

Well...At last!!!
Capitalism will be eaten by expansionist Russia...;)
If serious, Russia can't harm anyone now... At least for now. Take it easy.

P.S.
Oh, and I love "Red Dawn" movie.:)

[Jensen]

Did not exactly come as a surprise, they have been accusing Norway of having long range missile batteries on the island of "Svalbard". I don't see how they came to that conclusion when we don't even have enough money in the army to refuel our tanks for exercises.

[Chukada]

If only Canada laid claim to the north pole. Then we would be the largest country in the world. Then finally Americans would be taught about the existence of Canada and how they pose a threat to national security. ;)

[enigma]

Who cares about the artic its melting what they gonner end up with?

[Hells Angel]

A mass of floating sub bases...

[Total_Overkill]

I thought the arctic was "Free" territory where no one owned anything and was universally owned?

Nope... its long since been divided up between multiple northern nations (except for the north pole its self, think it has a 70 mile radius of protection)

Now Antarctica is a different story, its a neutral area (even though, its also been unoffically divided up)

Who cares about the artic its melting what they gonner end up with?

Several new, formerly ice covered land masses. Brand new year round, shipping lanes. Access to previously untouchable resources (oil,minerals,etc).

In essence, $$$ and POWER!!! :D

the Arctic is NOT neutral territory. Canada and Russia (and most likely, the former USSR) have always had huge land claims of the north, i believe Norway and Finland have decent size claims as well.

[Manstein]

Finland can't have any claims on it, can they? they don't even have a Barents Sea coastline

[Total_Overkill]

Finland can't have any claims on it, can they? they don't even have a Barents Sea coastline

Sure they can, there no restrictions on ages old land claims, which is theoretically why Spain "owns" a peice of antartica :rolleyes: (and formerly half the world :eek: )

[DavidUpton]

I wasn't aware that ice was so important...

*Goes to the shop*

[Manstein]

they aren't claiming it for the ice, but for the resources under it

[xtc-alec]

i belive Mr David was joking ;)

[Xeathos]

Well. I'm not sure if I want them to have all that new territory.... But I'm not sure If I want someone to try and stop them(which would be pretty easy)..
This could be really interesting... Do you think this could be the event that reduces human population?? (AKa WW3)

[2ltben]

I thought the arctic was "Free" territory where no one owned anything and was universally owned?
There's no land in the Arctic, and Russia already has claim to the islands north of Asia in the Arctic Circle.

Unless international law is changed to allow for nationalized waters that far out, they're just going to be building rigs in international waters. The rigs will be Russian territory, but other than that, nothing.

[enigma]

Since it seems anyone can claim it .... i claim the Artic in the name of the newly formed "democratic" nation of Scouseland!

[Xeathos]

Since it seems anyone can claim it .... i claim the Artic in the name of the newly formed "democratic" nation of Scouseland!

No you don't, I just did. And It is called Cazdien. If you try to take it, then I will blow you up.. Simple as that.

[Kaos]

They're claiming it because their scientists think that that Russian mainland is physically attached to something underneath the ice. If that's true, then they would have a legal claim to the area.

And yeah it's resources. There's twice as much oil underneath the Arctic than in Saudi Arabia.

[scottdog]

Ah well russia should get claims to it if poland gets missile defence? win-win.

[2ltben]

Sure they can, there no restrictions on ages old land claims, which is theoretically why Spain "owns" a peice of antartica :rolleyes: (and formerly half the world :eek: )
So does Norway, Queen Maud's Land.

Interestingly enough, the Indian station is built on a hot spring. The something or other oasis, named after the German pilot who discovered it in 1938 or 1939.

[Hyperion2010]

drop the "getting" and "again" and change the title to "russia still expansionist" and then all the historians will nod knowingly :D

[2ltben]

Ah well russia should get claims to it if poland gets missile defence? win-win.
Every time Poland is occupied, there is, on average, five uprisings over the duration. However, that number is skewed because of the anti-Austrian, anti-Prussian, and anti-Russian uprisings staged by Poles during the over one hundred and twenty years that Poland did not exist as a sovereign state. There were eleven, if you group the ones that happened at more or less the same time as one overall uprising.

It is for this reason that I have nothing but the deepest respect for Pope Jean Paul II. Under the Nazis he was strafed by German aircraft, hit by a truck, almost got carted off by the Gestapo during the Warsaw Uprising, and in a visit to Communist Poland the KGB tried to assassinate him.