Those who attempt to answer this question miss the point. and European sanctions have dealt serious blows to Russia’s already dismal economy-raising the question of why would Putin pay such a staggering price to carve out a few more pieces of territory. In violating international norms, he has become a global pariah. Many wonder what Putin gains from pushing this narrative. Kremlin-backed media outlets amplify this message, subjecting audiences to a constant deluge of scaremongering about “ NATO encirclement” and pointing to the West’s condemnations of Putin’s actions as evidence of “Russophobia.” This is the same tactic Russian President Vladimir Putin has used to justify his military adventurism for years: From Georgia in 2008, to Ukraine in 2014, to Syria in 2015, Putin has always laid the blame for Russian aggression squarely at the West’s feet. Russian officials justify the new naval restrictions with a familiar explanation, claiming that “the more active naval operations in the Arctic of various foreign countries” require such a response. The Kremlin’s latest threat has gone largely unnoticed, perhaps because it’s no surprise. Ships found in violation of these restrictions may be forcibly halted, detained, or-in unspecified “extreme” circumstances-“ eliminated.” Every vessel on the route, where Russia has invested heavily in sophisticated military infrastructure, will also be required to have a Russian maritime pilot on board. Last week, reports emerged that a new Kremlin policy will require all international naval ships to give Russia 45 days’ notice before entering the Northern Sea Route, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via the Arctic waters north of Siberia. Not many observers would consider the world’s coldest shipping lane a geopolitical hotspot.
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