Northern Sea Route Fails to Deliver Enough Coal to Chukotka, Forcing Military Settlements to Close and Meaning Residents Face a Cold Winter without Heat

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Nov. 22 – The new governor of Chukotka recently told Putin that his region was developing so well that it was in a position to help support Ukrainian regions Moscow has occupied, but in fact, the situation in the most distant region of the Russian Federation is close to collapse, with neither coal nor food being delivered in sufficient quantities for survival.

            This crisis has emerged for two reasons, local experts say. On the one hand, there is still too much ice in the eastern portions of the Northern Sea Route for transit of ships without the use of icebreakers, and Moscow prefers to use what icebreakers it has to handle ships carrying raw materials for export and to assist its Chinese ally.

            And on the other, the newly installed governor and his staff have utterly failed to understand to how to make use of the short summers not only as far as ships are concerned but regarding the delivery of goal and fresh fruits and vegetables from ports to inland villages and settlements (veter.info/posts/wU2LlJvu6Hbg).

            This year, ships delivered only one-third of the amount of coal needed to heat the homes of Chukotka residents and an even smaller fraction of fruits and vegetables, something that has sparked fears of a long cold winter and resulted in empty store shelves and skyrocketing prices when such foodstuffs are available.

            Chukotka’s 40,000 residents are already suffering: the region has the highest rate of alcoholism in the Russian Federation, and that rate is likely to increase still further this winter. Many are likely to come down with other illnesses and even die because of the failure to deliver coal and food because of Moscow’s preferences and the incompetence of Chukotka’s leadership.

            But for observers from beyond the borders of Chukotka, the most dramatic consequence of this collapse in the deliveries of coal for warmth and fruits and vegetables for the diet of its residents lies elsewhere: Russian military encampments are closing down, as can be seen from pictures provided by the Veter news agency.