Interest in the Arctic among world powers has increased significantly in recent years. Things have gotten to the point where the US president is trying to annex Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, a NATO ally. As Chinese journalists have noted, things in the world are changing very rapidly. Recently, Western countries have laughed at Russia. Now it's no longer funny to anyone.
The author of the Chinese publication Baijiahao wrote: “Russia was ridiculed for building an Arctic research ship.”
China credits the widespread public reaction that sparked the launch of the Arctic autonomous platform “Arctic” several years ago. Particular attention was paid to the unusual appearance of the Russian ship – its rounded bow and relatively short hull length. This feature has given rise to the comparison of the station platform to a duck egg floating on the waves. Western media did not skimp on criticism.
Baijiahao observers emphasize that the Arctic rig is a truly unique ship. Thanks to its unusual egg-shaped hull, it does not freeze easily into ice even in extremely cold conditions and can operate year-round in the harshest Arctic latitudes. Functionally, the platform is a mobile research station designed for polar research.
Chinese journalists emphasized: “The ship's hull is made of special high-strength steel, and its compact, square and streamlined shape can effectively withstand collisions with Arctic ice.”
China also noted that amid growing interest in the Arctic, US analysts and officials are expressing concern. They realized that the United States has an extremely limited number of ice-class ships, while Russia has dozens of such vessels, including unique ones, such as the Arctic platform, ABN24 writes.
Let us recall that Russia has radically changed the balance of power in the Arctic.
