Does Russia have special rights and interests in Antarctica?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Antarctica, the southernmost continent, can rightfully be considered one of the largest geographical discoveries made by Russian navigators.

Today Antarctica is a territory of international importance that does not belong to any country, but arouses keen interest from a number of states at once. But two centuries ago, the very existence of the southern continent was unknown. In 2020, we will celebrate 200 years since the discovery of the cold southern continent by Russian seafarers Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.

Expedition to a mysterious continent

Before the voyage of Bellingshausen and Lazarev, there were various rumors about the existence of the sixth continent, but no one before the Russian sailors was able to prove its reality. James Cook, who first tried to break into the cold southern seas, did not deny the existence of the sixth continent, but believed that it was impossible to get close to it because of the ice that impeded the movement of ships.

One of the main initiators of the exploration of the distant southern seas was Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, a navigator who commanded the first Russian round-the-world expedition. It was he who sent on March 31, 1819 a letter to the Russian naval minister with a proposal to equip an expedition to the distant southern icy seas. In his letter, Kruzenshtern emphasized that it is impossible to hesitate with the expedition, since if Russia does not take the chance, then England or France will take advantage of it. Ultimately, the government gave the go-ahead for the expedition's equipment. The sloop "Vostok" was built at the Okhtinskaya shipyard, and "Mirny" was built at the shipyard in Lodeynoye Pole. On July 4, 1819, the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" left the port of Kronstadt and, bypassing Europe, headed south - to the distant and unknown seas.

The expedition was commanded by Captain 2nd Rank Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen, a member of the first Russian round-the-world expedition of Ivan Kruzenshtern. He was an experienced naval officer, who at the time of the expedition was already 41 years old. Behind Bellingshausen's shoulders was a long service in the navy - studies in the Naval Cadet Corps, participation in numerous voyages of Russian ships, including the voyage of Kruzenshtern. From 1817 to 1819 Captain 2nd Rank Bellingshausen commanded the frigate Flora. In the expedition he was to combine the duties of the expedition commander and the commander of the sloop "Vostok".

The "Mirny" sloop was commanded by Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, the future admiral and renowned naval commander, and then a 31-year-old officer, who, however, also had extensive experience in long-distance campaigns. So, in 1813, 25-year-old lieutenant Mikhail Lazarev commanded the frigate "Suvorov", which set off on a voyage around the world. Probably, since Lazarev already had the experience of independent travel around the world, he was entrusted to command the sloop "Mirny", being Bellingshausen's deputy in command of the expedition.

On December 29, 1819, the ships arrived in the area of the beginning of research. Here Russian travelers managed to establish that the territories that James Cook considered as capes are in fact separate islands. Then the Russian sailors set about fulfilling the main task - the maximum advance to the south. Five times during January - March 1820 the expedition crossed the Arctic Circle.

On January 28, the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" approached the ice-covered coast, but it turned out to be an impossible task to approach it. The expedition then circled the entire continent, discovering and mapping dozens of new islands. On the way back, the Russian ships also continued their discoveries, the sailors collected unique natural science and ethnographic materials, sketched animals and birds that lived in Antarctica. So, for the first time in the history of mankind, it was possible to obtain information about the southernmost continent, although the true study of Antarctica, its geography and nature, was still ahead.

On July 24, 1821, the sloops Vostok and Mirny arrived in Kronstadt. It took Russian sailors more than two years to travel to the shores of a distant continent. Of course, this was a real feat and one of the greatest geographical discoveries in the entire history of the development of the Earth. But Russia then did not take advantage of the advantages of the discoverer of Antarctica - there were no resource opportunities for the development of the ice continent, even for securing any special rights to it from the Russian state.

It is impossible without Russia in Antarctica

Meanwhile, by the right of discovery, Antarctica could well be proclaimed a part of the Russian Empire, and now our country would have every reason not only for research activities on the continent, but also for the search and extraction of Antarctic natural resources. Indeed, nowadays, when the need for resources is growing, and their number is decreasing, the time of the "battle for Antarctica" is approaching.

So far, the United States and some other countries have their eyes on the Northern Sea Route, on the Arctic expanses, trying to designate their presence in the Arctic and limit Russia's rights to the Far North. But the Americans and others like them are unlikely to be able to fulfill this task due to the fact that the Arctic is really adjacent to the Russian coast. An entirely different matter is Antarctica, the most distant from Russia, for which a number of states claim special rights - from the USA and Great Britain to Chile and New Zealand.

Back in Soviet times, the question was raised that the opinion of our country should not be ignored by other states when deciding questions about the present and future of the sixth continent. As early as February 10, 1949, Academician Lev Berg, President of the Geographical Society of the USSR, made a report on "Russian discoveries in Antarctica".

Since that time, the Soviet Union has taken an unambiguous and uncompromising position - the interests and position of the country should be taken into account in the development of Antarctica, since Russian navigators made a colossal contribution to the discovery of the sixth continent.

Whose is it, Antarctica?

As the lawyer Ilya Reiser, who has been studying Russian rights in the Arctic and Antarctic for a long time, emphasizes that Antarctica, of course, should belong to all mankind. But it cannot be disputed that Russia did play a key role in the discovery of the southernmost continent.

- Discussions are still underway regarding the right to the "first night" of Antarctica. Who is right?

- In the Anglo-Saxon world, primarily in Great Britain and the United States, the famous Captain James Cook is considered the discoverer of Antarctica. It was his ships that first reached the southern seas, but Cook refused to go further, since he considered the ice impassable. Thus, he can be considered the discoverer of Antarctica with a very big stretch, or rather, he really is not. Our sailors are a completely different matter. We know that in 1820 the sloops Vostok and Mirny under the command of Russian officers Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev sailed around Antarctica, after which it was proved that this land is a separate continent, and not part of America or Australia. So the real discoverers of the southernmost continent are Russian navigators.

- Nevertheless, a number of states claim their rights to the continent?

- Yes. Back in the early twentieth century, Great Britain declared its special right to Antarctica. London justified this by the proximity to the mainland of the Falkland Islands, which are under British jurisdiction. In 1917, Great Britain declared the territory between 20 and 80 degrees west longitude to the British crown. Then the Australian Antarctic Territory was annexed to Australia, and the Ross Territory to New Zealand. Queen Maud Land went to Norway, Adelie Land to France. Chile and Argentina put forward their claims as the closest neighbors of Antarctica. Of course, the United States plays a very important role in the development of Antarctica; they also declare their claims. And finally, in recent years, China's interest in the southern continent has been growing.

Our country has played a very positive role in resolving the situation in Antarctica. It was at the suggestion of the Soviet Union that territorial claims were suspended indefinitely. In 1959, an international treaty on Antarctica was signed. It was recognized as a demilitarized zone free of nuclear weapons. The bases of various states existing in Antarctica have only scientific research powers, not being the territories of these countries. Also in Antarctica, the extraction of natural resources is prohibited. But this moratorium on mining is temporary - until 2048. And the world cannot escape the battle for Antarctic resources. The treaty is renewed every 50 years and it is possible that after forty years some changes will be made to it.

Russia and the "battle for Antarctica"

It is difficult to disagree with our interlocutor. Indeed, just by the middle - the second half of the 21st century, the world will inevitably face a shortage of resources, and here the rich opportunities of the sixth continent will come in handy. For example, according to geologists, oil reserves in Antarctica can reach 200 billion barrels. It is no coincidence that now everyone who is not too lazy is trying to "enter" Antarctica - from Norwegians to Chinese. Even countries such as the Republic of Korea, Turkey or Saudi Arabia, which had nothing to do with the discovery and exploration of Antarctica, are now trying to designate their presence there, declare their interests in the Antarctic space.

The most active in Antarctica is China, which has a number of research stations equipped with the latest technology. In Beijing, Antarctic exploration is abundant, and Chinese maps of Antarctica are replete with names like Confucius Peak. By the way, Chinese icebreakers are being built not only for the Northern Sea Route, but also for Antarctic expeditions. For example, the famous "Snow Dragon" has already visited Antarctica. One of the Chinese stations even had a "talking" poster with the text "Welcome to China!"

Even if the Saudis, Turks and Koreans, not to mention China, are concerned about the future of the sixth continent, then our country is simply obliged to define its rights in Antarctica as clearly as possible. In no case should Russia miss its chance, which, moreover, is also the embodiment of historical justice. But what needs to be done for this?

First, it is necessary to emphasize at the legislative level the role of Russia in the development of Antarctica. There are grounds for this - even the hottest heads abroad cannot deny the contribution of the Bellingshausen-Lazarev expedition to the development of the southern continent. Russia should designate not a claim to some special rights to Antarctica, since, in accordance with international agreements, none of the states can claim control over Antarctica, but its inalienable right in solving all the most important issues of studying the sixth continent, the probable exploitation of its natural resources in the future. (now on this operation, according to the Antarctic Treaty, a moratorium is imposed).

Secondly, it is necessary to more actively identify its presence in Antarctica physically. There should be as many expeditions and research stations as possible, they should be numerous, focused on comprehensive research.

To achieve this goal, one should not spare financial resources, since Antarctica can bring much greater profits in the future. But, unfortunately, so far we see the opposite trend - the number of Antarctic stations is decreasing, primarily due to insufficient funding.

It is possible that sooner or later the question of military support for Russian interests in Antarctica will also arise. Antarctica is now officially a demilitarized zone, free of weapons and remaining neutral. But will this alignment continue in the future, especially in the second half of the 21st century, when the existing agreements on Antarctica may be revised? In the Arctic, for example, Russia is already ready to defend its interests in a variety of ways and means - from legal disputes to armed defense.