What's New Podcast - Russia in the Arctic

In this What’s New Episode, Serafima Andreeva and Pavel Devyatkin talk about what the Arctic means for Russia in 2025. Photo: Serafima Andreeva

What’s New? is a podcast on Arctic geopolitics, governance, and security. Created and hosted by Serafima Andreeva, and supported by The Arctic Institute and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. The podcast brings together leading experts from various fields of Arctic geopolitics and many Arctic and non-Arctic states to unpack key developments, challenge common misconceptions, and discuss the current dynamics of todays changing Arctic.

Russia in the Arctic

In this episode of What’s New?, Serafima Andreeva speaks with Pavel Devyatkin, Senior Associate at The Arctic Institute and affiliated with the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, about Russia’s Arctic priorities after 2022. The discussion highlights the Arctic as an economic backbone for Russia—central to energy exports, the Northern Sea Route, and regional development—while also examining the region’s military significance, particularly the role of the Northern Fleet and Russia’s defensive “bastion” posture. The episode challenges common assumptions about an impending Arctic conflict, showing how restraint, deterrence, and cooperation continue to coexist despite heightened NATO–Russia tensions and the war in Ukraine.

… and if you want to actually see Serafima and Pavel talk, check out the Youtube-session below!