The Blockade Of Novorossiysk Has Trapped The Kremlin In An Icy Trap
- 30.08.2026, 16:41
- 1,046
Russia is looking for a route around via the Arctic.
Due to the blockade of the port of Novorossiysk by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Kremlin is considering the possibility of shipping its products for export via northern ports, specifically through the Arctic Ocean, which provides access all the way to China.
However, Captain 1st Rank (Reserve), Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Navy from 2004 to 2020, Andriy Ryzhenko, believes that such a plan is doomed to failure, according to Radio NV.
“I think this is unrealistic, since it’s almost September, cold weather is coming, and they (the Russians—UNIAN) will need to keep this route open. To do that, they need icebreakers, which are still under construction. I’d like to remind you that Russia plans to build an entire fleet of very powerful icebreakers with a displacement of 50,000–70,000 metric tons. These are essentially aircraft carriers; they’re building them specifically for this purpose,” said Ryzhenko.
According to him, in order for Russian ships to navigate the Northern Sea Route, it must be kept at a certain width—about 30 meters. These navigable channels must be constantly maintained.
Overall, the expert added, there is a complex problem with icebreakers. For example, they must undergo dry-dock repairs every two years. Russia had one PD-50 dry dock at its disposal that could accommodate ships of this class. However, it sank about five years ago while the Russian aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” was inside it, Ryzhenko noted.
According to him, the Russian Federation has not yet been able to find a replacement, since such dry docks are built in Scandinavia and Japan—countries that are not currently cooperating with the Kremlin. And without maintenance in these drydocks, the expert added, such icebreakers will not be able to operate for a long time.
Another problem is that the distance from the railroad to the northern ports is several thousand kilometers, and the population in these areas has declined significantly.
“The Russian Arctic military force was created precisely to establish a northern route to the coast of the Arctic Ocean. They want to improve the standard of living in this region… There are a great many questions here, and the benefits of such a route—and of such ships, possibly even to China—will be far less than the cost of such a project. This will once again be a propaganda project designed to scare someone or generate publicity,” Ryzhenko believes.
He emphasized that the most profitable route for Russia is to transport cargo via the south—through the port of Novorossiysk, which is currently blocked. Therefore, this is a very painful situation for Moscow, and the occupiers are putting pressure on Ukraine.
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