31 July, on the Day of the Russian Navy, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving the new Naval Doctrine. This doctrine defines the priority areas of national policy in the field of maritime activities. Moreover, it differs significantly from the previous, approved in 2015 year.
So, the list of main challenges and threats for the first time indicates attempts by Western countries to change the legal regimes of maritime spaces and routes in their own geopolitical interests. In this regard, it is planned to intensify activities to protect transport routes in the oceans., especially in the Arctic. In the latter case, special attention is paid to the protection of the Northern Sea Route., running along the seas of the Arctic Ocean. This passage, referred to as North Eastern, is the shortest shipping route between Europe and the Far East. To protect this passage, the new doctrine allows the use of military force "when diplomatic options have been exhausted".
In connection with the adoption of the new doctrine, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation prepared a draft law, which changes the regulations for the operation of the Northern Sea Route. AT 1991 Moscow, as a gesture of goodwill, opened the Northeast Passage for free international navigation. Bill, prepared by the Ministry of Defense, cancels this mode.. foreign ships, to use the Northern Sea Route, you will have to ask permission from Moscow every time.
A photo: © RIA Novosti / Vitaly Ankov
This change is caused by the policy of Western countries. After the introduction of the free navigation regime, they declared the Northern Sea Route an "international zone", and then made claims against him.
So, December 2014 year the Danish government claimed maritime space north of Greenland. In doing so, it referred to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea..
This convention assigns to each country the sea area in 12 miles (22,2 km) from its coast. Territorial waters can be expanded, if the state has a continental shelf. It's about the shelf., which is a natural extension of the country's land area. The state has the right to secure it, and at the same time - and the adjacent sea area. On this basis, Russia secured the sea area along the Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges.. The listed ridges run up to the North Pole and are a natural continuation of Eurasia, namely, that part of it, which belongs to Russia.
At the same time, Denmark, Recalling the Convention on the Law of the Sea, declared the Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges a "natural extension" of North America, namely, that part of it, related to Greenland. Not important, that the listed ranges are not in the Western, and in the Eastern Hemisphere. Since the Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges lie on the Northern Sea Route, Denmark recognizes part of the Northeast Passage as "Danish territorial waters".
At the same time, the Danes were not embarrassed by the fact, what, in accordance with the UN Convention, any country can claim the continental shelf, but no further, than 350 nautical miles (about 647,5 km) from its coast. Denmark has claimed the shelf, which is located in 1000 and more kilometers from Greenland. Therefore, the reference of Copenhagen to the Convention on the Law of the Sea is untenable.
A photo: © Photo is for illustrative purposes only.
But that's not even the point. The thing is, that Denmark's claims should be regarded as ... colonial expansion.
It is worth recalling, that the Danish kingdom had already tried to carry out a similar expansion. In the Middle Ages, Denmark participated in the Crusades, aimed at conquering the Baltic states and the north-west of Russia. As a result, these campaigns ended in failure..
After that, Denmark extended its colonial expansion to almost all continents.. During its heyday, the colonial empire of Copenhagen covered lands in Europe, Asia, North America, Africa. The total area of the Danish colonies reached about 3 million. km², with a metropolitan area of just 43 thousand. km². However, then the Danes were seriously pressed by American and British competitors.. Consequently, the Danish king lost a large part of his colonies. As a result, by the beginning of World War II, only Greenland and the Faroe Islands remained in its colonial possessions..
Nevertheless, the ruling circles of Denmark did not calm down on this.. They again tried to seek happiness in the East.
AT 1940 year, Nazi Germany sent its troops into the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. At the same time, the Danes practically did not show any resistance to the Nazis.. in front of, they made an alliance with Hitler. The Fuhrer of the NSDAP, in a separate memorandum, guaranteed Denmark a share of his future conquests.. From that moment on, Denmark was involved in Nazi plans to prepare for war with the Soviet Union..
A photo: © wikipedia.org
The Danish government handed over the heavy weapons of its army to Nazi Germany, as well as the fleet. The entire economy of the country was reoriented to the needs of the Wehrmacht. After the start of Nazi aggression against the Soviet Union, the Danish government severed diplomatic relations with Moscow and declared war on the USSR.. The 6,000th Danish Volunteer Corps was sent to the "war against Bolshevism", the backbone of which was the Danish regular army. Besides, 50 thousands of Danes worked on the creation of fortifications of Nazi Germany, and more 35 thousand served in the police units of the SS.
This colonial adventure ended for Denmark in the same deplorable way., as the previous. The Danish Corps was utterly defeated by the Red Army in the battles near Demyansk. And although after the defeat of Nazi Germany, Denmark did not bear responsibility for its alliance with Hitler, she was obliged to grant independence to her colonies.
Formally, Denmark canceled the colonial status of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Furthermore, announced the granting of "autonomy" to them. At the same time, the inhabitants of the Faroe Islands and Greenland were not granted the right to self-determination.. They did not receive equal rights with the Danes. The Faroe Islands and Greenland have the status of dependent territories. In fact, how were the colonies, so they remained. And today Copenhagen continues to dream of expanding its colonial possessions..
But in this way it provokes a new global confrontation. At the same time, it violates one of the basic provisions of the UN Charter, namely, decolonization. Therefore, Russia has the right not only to defend its territories, but also, as a founding country of the United Nations, together with other countries to achieve the complete decolonization of the Arctic.
Yuri Gorodnenko
