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Russia plants flag under N Pole
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| hardcore trancer |
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6927395.stm
The rust-proof titanium metal flag was brought by explorers travelling in two mini-submarines, in what is believed to be the first expedition of its kind.
Both vessels have now rejoined the expedition's ships, completing their risky return journey to the surface.
Canada, which also claims territory in the Arctic, has criticised the mission.
"This isn't the 15th Century," Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told the CTV channel.
"You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'," he said.
Melting polar ice has led to competing claims over access to Arctic resources.
See a detailed map of the region
Russia's claim to a vast swathe of territory in the Arctic, thought to contain oil, gas and mineral reserves, has been challenged by several other powers, including the US.
'Heroic mission'
The Russian mission's leader, explorer and parliamentarian Artur Chilingarov, said the flag would be a permanent mark of Russia's presence at the pole.
"If a hundred or a thousand years from now someone goes down to where we were, they will see the Russian flag," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
It was so lovely down there," he said.
He earlier told Itar-Tass that his mini-submarine had a "smooth" landing on the seabed.
"The yellowish ground is around us, no sea dwellers are seen," he said.
The mini-submarines, Mir-I and Mir-II, were brought to the North Pole by the two ships in the Russian expedition - a nuclear-powered ice-breaker and a research vessel.
The expedition set off last week from the port of Murmansk in search of geological evidence to back up Moscow's claims to the resource-rich Arctic seabed.
Scientists aboard the submarines had also planned to collect samples of Arctic flora and fauna.
Russian media reported last week that the ships were briefly tailed by foreign aircraft, but this claim was played down by the expedition leader.
The submarines' return from the seabed to the surface was regarded as the most dangerous part of the journey.
The vessels risked being trapped beneath the Arctic ice sheet unless they could navigate back to the exact gap in the ice where they set off from.
"This may sound grandiloquent but for me this is like placing a flag on the moon, this is really a massive scientific achievement," Sergei Balyasnikov, a spokesman for Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Institute, told Reuters news agency.
Competing claims
President Vladimir Putin has already described the urgent need for Russia to secure its "strategic, economic, scientific and defence interests" in the Arctic.
Moscow argued before a UN commission in 2001 that waters off its northern coast were in fact an extension of its maritime territory.
The claim was based on the argument that an underwater feature, known as the Lomonosov Ridge, was an extension of its continental territory, but it was rejected and Russia told to resubmit with more evidence.
Several countries with territories bordering the Arctic - including Russia, the US, Canada and Denmark - have launched competing claims to the region.
The competition has intensified as melting polar ice caps have opened up the possibility of new shipping routes in the region.
Current laws grant countries an economic zone of 200 nautical miles beyond their land borders.
This zone can be extended where a country can prove that the structure of the continental shelf is similar to the geological structure within its territory.
The North Pole is not currently regarded as part of any single country's territory and is therefore administered by the International Seabed Authority. |
Let the war for the Arctic begin!!!:nervous: |
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| Q5echo |
"This isn't the 15th Century, You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory',"
:crazy:
those whacky Russians
'nuff said:D |
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| hardcore trancer |
| I wonder who owns planet Mars then?:crazy: |
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| Sunsnail |
| the mars rover is kinda like a flag... amirite? |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by Sunsnail
the mars rover is kinda like a flag... amirite? |
i think the Intergalactic Planetary Rule Book says it's gotta be a real flag. like on a pole and .
until someone else comes along and plants one, then you thumb wrestle for it. |
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| Magnetonium |
Jesus Christ, here I go again, I have been provoked ;-) First of all, the childish and stupid response of the Canadian officials is rather foolish. It wasnt the 15th century when Americans placed flags on the moon, North Pole, South Pole, etc. Its a sign, a sign of achievement and pride. This was the first mission of its kind, a magnificent massive mission that sent out a clear message to the world - Russia's back and strong. Russia became the first nation to successfully navigate the seabed around North Pole and rightfully deserved to place its flag there, symbolically, just like Americans did on the moon, back in the 15th century. Americans and their partners in crime had their chance long ago, they simply didnt want to. Well, too bad.
We'll see, however, as to the actual scientific conclusions made as a result of this mission. Lomonosov ridge is probably an extension of Siberian geological plate, I am quite sure of it and Russians wouldn't have sailed out with this much fanfare unless they had some certainty.
As a side note, this was NOT a government funded expedition, but completely funded by private sponsors. Quite surprising.
Interesting to note that Americans and Canadians have immediately sent a response mission/team after the Russians did theirs. They are carefully watching the developments, and I am sure that any scientific evidence proving Russian claims to the Arctic will be denied and ignored, as usual and as predicted. |
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| Capitalizt |
fine! You foreigners can have the north pole.
Mars belongs to the U.S. bitches!
Oh, and that comet we crashed the probe into a few years ago...THATS OURS TOO! ;)
God bless America! |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by Magnetonium
Jesus Christ, here I go again, I have been provoked ;-) First of all, the childish and stupid response of the Canadian officials is rather foolish. It wasnt the 15th century when Americans placed flags on the moon, North Pole, South Pole, etc. Its a sign, a sign of achievement and pride. This was the first mission of its kind, a magnificent massive mission that sent out a clear message to the world - Russia's back and strong. Russia became the first nation to successfully navigate the seabed around North Pole and rightfully deserved to place its flag there, symbolically, just like Americans did on the moon, back in the 15th century. Americans and their partners in crime had their chance long ago, they simply didnt want to. Well, too bad.
We'll see, however, as to the actual scientific conclusions made as a result of this mission. Lomonosov ridge is probably an extension of Siberian geological plate, I am quite sure of it and Russians wouldn't have sailed out with this much fanfare unless they had some certainty.
As a side note, this was NOT a government funded expedition, but completely funded by private sponsors. Quite surprising.
Interesting to note that Americans and Canadians have immediately sent a response mission/team after the Russians did theirs. They are carefully watching the developments, and I am sure that any scientific evidence proving Russian claims to the Arctic will be denied and ignored, as usual and as predicted. |
take it easy dude. all of this should be understood as symbolic.
what do you mean by navigate the sea bed? |
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| Magnetonium |
| quote: | Originally posted by Q5echo
take it easy dude. all of this should be understood as symbolic.
what do you mean by navigate the sea bed? |
The advanced Russian mini-submarines have explored some of the seabed, collected samples, etc. all to determine if that section of the seabed has physical similarities to the Siberian plate. And hopefully if it does, then Russia will become the new Saudi Arabia ... well, Russia's already a resources mogul, but this is much bigger ...
I was watching the developments of this event very carefully, but I didnt want to start a panic on the forums so I hoped noone would post. Damn media got in the way. |
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| George Smiley |
| Don't worry everyone! The Royal Navy is on standby to rescue the Russian subs when they sink again! |
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| Magnetonium |
| quote: | Originally posted by George Smiley
Don't worry everyone! The Royal Navy is on standby to rescue the Russian subs when they sink again! |
You're just dreaming, you know that, right? |
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| Q5echo |
oh. well we were charting the entire Arctic sea bed when your country was first putting nukes to sea.
if your country is such a "mogul" on natural resources then why the hell can't they take advantage of it like most other countries and their resources and really provide for their country.
i mean if they can manage to lay claim on what supposedly is there 2300 fathoms below water and ice, what makes you think they will be able to successfully utilize it in a way a normal country would utilize it?
you're taking some giant leaps here dude. |
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