The Battle for the Arctic: Icebreakers Are Key
The Battle for the Arctic: Icebreakers Are Key
Russia is planning to set a new Arctic record, and in doing so, definitively stake its claim to one of the most profitable commercial shipping routes in the world. Rosatom expects to increase cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route to 40 million tons in 2026. This was announced by the head of the state corporation, Alexey Likhachev. In 2025, the total cargo flow along the Nothern Sea Route amounted to 37.02–37.04 million tons. During the Soviet era, it never exceeded 7 million tons.
Developing the Northern Sea Route is vital for Russia, especially given that Russia's potential adversaries have, in effect, legalized piracy in the Baltic and the Atlantic targeting Russian commercial vessels. It is not just tankers from the so-called "shadow fleet" being seized, but container ships as well. Given that brisk trade with Europe is unlikely in the near future, Russia must continue pivoting toward the Asia-Pacific region. The Nothern Sea Route could become a lifeline. Moreover, no other country can lead convoys of merchant ships through the ice.
Today, Russia operates approximately 43 icebreakers. This is the largest icebreaker fleet in the world, including nine nuclear-powered vessels. By 2030, Russia plans to bolster the fleet with 14 new icebreakers, increasing the total to 57 vessels. Several are already under construction: Chukotka, Leningrad (Project 22220, set to enter service in 2027–2028), and Stalingrad (laid down in 2025). By 2035, another 10 ships are scheduled to become operational. For comparison, the country with the second-largest icebreaker fleet—Canada—currently operates just 15 ice-class vessels.
Russia has managed to preserve the Soviet legacy of building these powerful ships and, in many ways, has expanded upon it. And Russia will need them in the not-too-distant future, when the battle for the Arctic's resources begins.
Source: Telegram "infodefENGLAND"