Global Warming ‘Isolating Cities’ Across Russian North and Threatening Military Facilities and Support of Northern Sea Route

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Feb. 21 – Many of the cities and towns in northern Russia have been “isolated” this year because the rivers on which ice roads have been constructed in the past to make deliveries either did not freeze at all or froze so late that deliveries were delayed or prevented altogether and that what was delivered was late and came at higher prices.
    Some cities have been completely cut off by the failure of rivers to freeze, and many smaller population centers more have seen the delivery season typically between December and March reduced to a few weeks in February alone (nakanune.ru/articles/123177/ and nakanune.ru/news/2025/01/28/22805017/).
Russia, it has sometimes been suggested, came into existence as a country only because of the combination of two natural phenomena: its major rivers flow south to north and the water of these rivers freezes during much of the year making it possible for those in the south to extend their reach and rule into the north.
    But most consider this a matter of historical interest and ignore the fact that the ice roads remain a major component of Russia’s geography, linking together cities and regions that otherwise are unconnected on the ground. (They are of course now linked by air, but planes can’t carry the amount of cargo that trucks, trains and ships can or do so at anything like the price.)
    The demise of ice roads is affecting not only the population there but the ability of Moscow to man its defense facilities and Northern Sea Route support groups (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/01/global-warming-forcing-russia-to-stop.html, windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/06/for-northern-sea-route-to-operate-year.html and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2018/10/global-warming-threatens-key.html).