The Biggest Threat To Russia’s Arctic Oil Ambitions

The collapse of the Soviet Union was a geopolitical victory for the United States and a disaster for Russia which suffered politically, economically, and socially. Although citizens enjoyed more individual freedoms, the quality of life decreased substantially as state institutions collapsed and basic services disappeared.

In the early 2000s, Moscow started exerting more influence over its mining sector which increased the state’s income substantially. The production of raw materials from Russia’s rich soil of which oil is by far the…