With waters between Svalbard and continental Norway

With waters between Svalbard and continental Norway vital to Russia’s northern sea lanes from Murmansk, Russia maintains a consulate in Barentsburg. While the Ukrainian Ambassador’s comments in Norway were largely ignored at home, Russia’s “media space exploded in outrage,” Eurasia Daily Monitor reported last week. Russian commentators said Ukraine forfeited its Arctic ambitions in 1993 when it sold its only ice-class research vessel to China. Built-in Kherson shipyard, the polar ice breaker now is called Xue Long, or Snow Dragon. Looking ahead, Moscow analysts predict Russia will block any attempt by Ukraine to join Poland and 12 other observer countries in the Arctic Council. On Sept. 12-13, Sauli Niinisto, President of Finland, one of the eight full Arctic Council member countries, visits Kyiv.