Naval flotilla explores new passage on Northern Sea Route
Only a few drifting icebergs could be seen as Russia, for the first time, sent naval vessels through the strait that separates Bolshevik Island from October Revolution Island.
Four vessels from Russia’s Northern Fleet have made a passage through the Strait of Shokalsky, the waters that separate two of the biggest islands of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago.
A video distributed by the Northern Fleet shows that the strait is ice-free and navigable. Nevertheless, the sea ice situation was considered complicated, the military reported.
Two helicopters were deployed to carry out ice reconnaissance in the area, among them a Ka-29 helicopter from the patrol vessel Ivan Papanin.
Russian naval vessels navigate through the Strait of Shokalsky, archipelago Severnaya Zemlya, for the first time. Video by the Northern Fleet
The Shokalsky Strait connects the northern part of the Laptev Sea with the Kara Sea. The voyage is part of a naval expedition that set out from Severomorsk on the Kola Peninsula on 1 September. In mid-September, the vessels took part in an exercise around the New Siberian Islands archipelago.
Over the past decade, the Northern Fleet has sent a group of warships along the eastern part of the Northern Sea Route every autumn. While previous years saw an emphasis on anti-terrorism drills, military landings, and live-fire exercises, this year’s expedition is focusing on maritime safety, with the stated aim that the voyage will include "rescue exercises in the Arctic zone and along the Northern Sea Route."
Shipping along Russia’s Arctic coast has increased significantly in 2026. As the sea ice level reached its lowest in mid-September, more than 50 vessels were sailing along the remote eastern part of the Northern Sea Route, of which more than 30 were tankers.
Russia plans for a significant increase in shipping on the Northern Sea Route. A governmental decree from August 2022 outlines an ambition to reach a regional cargo throughput of 109.7 million tonnes by the end of 2030 and 151.6 million tonnes by the end of 2035.
However, it is not the first time that Russia has set high and unrealistic targets for shipping on the Northern Sea Route.
Despite assurances that safety is given priority, Russia is taking increasing risks across the Arctic waters.
In August this year, a group of tankers loaded with up to one million tonnes of oil made history when they sailed north of Severnaya Zemlya en route to China. A Norwegian expert described the operation as "extremely risky."
