Russia is incapable of servicing its Arctic ports, revealing an ever-widening gap between Moscow’s ambitions and its actual capabilities, according to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, quoted by Kyiv Post.
In a statement published on Tuesday, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine conveyed that the ports on the Northern Sea Route will require dredging works of approximately 60 million cubic meters in the next five years, and similar works will be necessary in the ports of other regions of Russia.
“Russia’s Arctic ambitions are hitting a basic infrastructure blockage,” the agency pointed out, emphasizing that Moscow had previously relied on foreign contractors who owned the fleets and technologies necessary for large-scale dredging projects.
Western sanctions have blocked this option, and Russia has failed to develop adequate internal alternatives. The plans announced by Russian authorities for the design and construction of dredging ships at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg remain largely declarative and have not generated practical results, according to the intelligence service.
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