Arctic News

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Arctic conspiracy theory “Russia Is Quietly Building a New Arctic Military Base—on American Land” is debunked yet again:

No, Russia is not building a new Arctic military base on American land:...

It is high time for public discourse to return to a clearer understanding of Wrangel Island’s history and legal status and to lay to rest the conspiracy theory promoted by “State Department Watch” and recently revived by The National Interest . Russia holds sovereignty over the island; and even if that control were somehow questioned, any hypothetical U.S. claim would be weaker than those that could conceivably be advanced by either the United Kingdom or Canada. American public figures should therefore cease urging the U.S. government to assert a claim to Wrangel Island.

Such a decision would, of course, not be about appeasing the Russian government or accepting the militarisation of the Pacific Arctic. Russia has repeatedly spread conspiracy theories about Arctic sovereignty arrangements and proclaimed supposed “historical rights” over places that belong to others, such as Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. While not “illegal” in the strict sense, the Ushakovskoye base sits inside a UNESCO-protected nature reserve and breaches the spirit and procedural requirements of the World Heritage Convention, as Russia has failed to provide assessments of its environmental impact. The base also contributes to the militarisation of the entry point to the Northern Sea Route, which several countries, including the United States, do not recognise as Russian internal waters. These developments warrant criticism and, where appropriate, opposition.

But rather than fighting fire with fire, the United States would do better to issue an explicit confirmation that it does not claim Wrangel Island. Such a statement would strengthen the Arctic governance system and help preserve regional peace and stability in the region. The Arctic’s sovereignty landscape is complex yet remarkably effective: there are no unresolved territorial disputes, and maritime boundaries are typically settled peacefully. This framework has underpinned decades of stability. Neither Russia nor the United States should jeopardise it by resurrecting nineteenth- or twentieth-century claims to territory. Arctic lands may be remote, but they are not up for grabs – whether on Greenland, a U.S. ally, or on Wrangel Island, the territory of a U.S. adversary.