Buildup of Russian military forces in the Arctic from 2008 to 2024: Geopolitical stage for Russian strategy in the 21st century

• Grant number: 24/21781-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Héctor Luis Saint-Pierre
• Grantee: Getúlio Alves de Almeida Neto
• Supervisor: Alexander Hill
• Host Institution: Instituto de Políticas Públicas e Relações Internacionais (IPPRI). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Calgary, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/16657-8 - Buildup of Russian military forces in the Arctic from 2008 to 2022: geopolitical stage for Russian strategy in the 21st century, BP.DR

Abstract

In this research, we focus on studying the increase in Russia's military presence in the Arctic between 2008 and 2024. We aim to understand the relationship between this movement and Russian foreign policy in the 21st century. The estimated large reserves of oil and natural gas in the region, along with prospects foreseeing the possibility of using the Arctic Ocean as a trade route due to polar ice melting in the medium and long term, make the region even more important for the Russian state. We outline two hypotheses. The first is that Russian government views the Arctic as its most important geopolitical stage, where it holds a strategic advantage to advance its interests and claim its great power status. The second hypothesis is that Russian interests in the Arctic are defined in terms of hard power, with an inseparability between economic and security aspects. We will conduct a qualitative analysis through bibliographic and documentary research. To deepen our knowledge of Arctic affairs, we deem it necessary to understand the perspective of another Arctic country and its perceptions of Russia. Hence, we propose a research internship abroad under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Alexander Hill for a six-month period as an International Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Military, Strategy and Security Studies (CMSS) at the University of Calgary, in Canada. Prof. Dr. Hill's research focuses on Soviet and contemporary Russian military, while CMSS is currently directed by Robert Huebert, a prominent scholar on Arctic security.