Russky Land Grab
Ivans plan to plant the flag on the sea floor on the roof of the world. Icebreaker Rossiya crashed through all the way to the North Pole, now two mini-subs are headed down 13,200 feet to do the honors. Sound crazy?
“For the first time in history, people will go down to the sea bed under the North Pole,” Balyasnikov told The Associated Press. “It’s like putting a flag on the moon.”
The voyage, led by polar explorer and Russian legislator Artur Chilingarov, has some scientific goals, including the study of Arctic plants and animals. But its chief goal appears to be advancing Russia’s political and economic influence by strengthening its legal claims to the huge gas and oil deposits thought to lie beneath the Arctic sea floor.
In the next few hours, Russian scientists hope to dive in two mini-submarines to a depth of more than 13,200 feet, and drop a metal capsule carrying the Russian flag onto the sea bed. Balyasnikov said the dive was to start Thursday morning and last several hours. Each submarine will carry three people.
Yikes! Two and a half miles down in a commie sub? Nyet, spasibo!
… About 100 scientists aboard the Akademik Fedorov are specifically looking for evidence that the Lomonosov Ridge — a 1,240-mile underwater mountain range that crosses the polar region — is a geologic extension of Russia, and therefore can be claimed by it under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
… The expedition reflects an intense rivalry between Russia, the United States, Canada and other nations whose shores face the polar ocean for the Arctic’s icebound riches.
… Moscow has claimed the polar region since at least the days of the Bolsheviks. It argued to the United Nations in 2002 that geological data backed up this claim. The U.N. rejected Moscow’s application then, citing lack of evidence, but Russia is set to resubmit it in 2009.
… The Russians are not the only ones eyeing the Arctic seabed. Denmark hopes to prove that the Lomonosov Ridge is an extension of the Danish territory of Greenland, not Russia. Canada, meanwhile, plans to spend $7 billion to build and operate up to eight Arctic patrol ships in a bid to help protect its sovereignty.
I sure hope Greenpeace and Al Gore don’t get all over their Bolshie asses for busting up the ice cap.
Topics: Russia
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 1:14 am Comments (8) on Thursday, August 2, 2007
8 Responses to “Russky Land Grab”
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August 2nd, 2007 at 4:22 am
Well lookie thar.
America spends six year pissing around dropping bombs on goat herders while our real rivals are expanding like topsy.
Do you think whenever Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao get together these days, they just giggle uncontrollably?
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:55 am
I guess that the blood of Stalin still flows in the veins of Mother Russia. Even though Stalin was Georgian, not Russian, it’s clear Putin takes his inspiration from the blood drenched leader of the now defunct Soviet Union……the same leader that allied the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany, and then came pleading to the Allies for help when Hitler corncobbed the Soviets in Operation Barbarossa. The same Soviet Union that occupied eastern Europe for decades, and left only when their economy collapsed.
So Russia is the modern Soviet Union, looking to grab as much real estate as possible, even if it is under water. Putin is clearly planning to turn the Arctic Ocean into a potential combat zone, not unlike the Cold War days of military confrontations in the North Atlantic:
Russia “will have to actively defend its interests in the Arctic,” Andrei Kokoshin said, according to the Interfax news agency. “We need to reinforce our Northern Fleet and our border guards and build airfields so that we can ensure full control over the situation.”
So, if THE ALPHTARD™ considers Russia our “real rival”, clearly He is withdrawing His constant praising of the Soviet Union’s “performance” during WWII against Nazi Germany. I suppose that this is progress of sorts.
Of course, Canada has a major problem here, since they gutted their armed forces. Patrol ships won’t cut it, unless they’re backed up by other military forces. At least we can fly out over the Arctic Ocean to drop ordinance.
All of this assumes, of course, that Russia is economically capable of building sustaining both the military forces and industrial infrastructure to support Putin’s property grab. They could barely hold onto part of Eurasia, and you could at least walk there. The Arctic Ocean? That ain’t so simple to colonize and protect. This could get interesting.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:36 am
You’ll find the Corndog flag waving proudly at the bottom of Nantucket Sound. It’s close to the water, and land is a lot cheaper down there than it is up above.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:50 am
while our real rivals are expanding like topsy
Yearning for those cold war levels of defense spending eh? Get ready to open up your wallet Alphie, we ain’t even close.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:13 am
It’s close to the water, and land is a lot cheaper down there than it is up above.
Besides, aren’t there a lot of delicious shellfish and crustaceans already there? IMHO, much better than caviar.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:16 am
Heh, PA! Good catch. We can always bring back Strategic Air Command, and rebuild the Defense Early Warning System. That ought to make THE ALPHTARD™ ecstatic. More MAD! More MAD! He can root for the Soviets, er, ah, I mean, Russians!, again.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Do you think whenever Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao get together these days, they just giggle uncontrollably?
If they do, they’ll be laughing out the other end when they have to hire American and Canadian engineers, crews, and equipment to find, pump, and refine all that oil. And those guys don’t take wooden rubles.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:38 pm
I was wondering why Harper ordered those boats. Didn’t see that coming.
Plus we’re late, aren’t we? I’m not sure what Canada has up north. Maybe nothing.
“And those guys don’t take wooden rubles.”
What if China decides to give them a loan? China is giving handouts to Africa these days, but they can still give Russia a loan. *groan* They can afford it.
Thank you for mentionning the ice breaker story. I hadn’t seen that.