"MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Russia wanted to retain its “superiority” in the Arctic and that it planned to renew its icebreaker fleet to bolster its presence there.

Moscow has stepped up its efforts to tap the region’s commercial potential, including by increasing freight traffic on the Northern Sea Route, which runs from Murmansk in the Russian Arctic to the Bering Strait near Alaska.

In recent years Russia has also re-opened abandoned Soviet military, air and radar bases in the energy-rich region as it vies for dominance against traditional rivals Canada, the United States, and Norway as well as newcomer China."

Reuters had the story November 3, 2020. [2]