Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumRussia geopolitics - dilemma of being landlocked.
(snip)
Russias access to the worlds oceans, aside from the Arctic, is also limited. What access it does have is blocked by other countries, which can be seen through the map below.
European Russia has three potential points from which to access global maritime trade. One is through the Black Sea and the Bosporus, a narrow waterway controlled by Turkey that can easily be closed to Russia. Another is from St. Petersburg, where ships can sail through Danish waters, but this passageway can also be easily blocked. The third is the long Artic Ocean route, starting from Murmansk and then extending through the gaps between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom.
(end snip)
More at link,
http://www.mauldineconomics.com/this-week-in-geopolitics/mapping-russias-strategy
Harker
(13,880 posts)Russian access to the Pacific seems unfettered. What exactly is "European Russia?"
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Given that the article talked about sea lanes controlled by counties west of Russia.
The Pacific is of course open to Russia, but that's a long way from western Russia and European markets.
Nitram
(22,671 posts)Not to mention the distance goods would have to travel by train to get to eastern ports for export. If Russia would just play nice with their neighbors it wouldn't be an issue.
A look at Russia's top trading partners doesn't suggest to me a tremendous need for easy Atlantic access. If there's concern that navigable routes can be shut off, maintaining good relations keeps them open.
magicarpet
(13,941 posts)Western Russia:
Population Centers
Agriculture District
Petrol/gas Reserves
Transportation Infrastructure - roads/rail
Rivers - Shipping/Barge Traffic
Export Markets - Europe/Africa/Canada/USA
Ocean Access - Trade/Naval War Ships
Nitram
(22,671 posts)free movement of goods in and out of the country, and give them access to European ports, they prefer to get access by invading and annexing their neighbors. In the Age of Imperialism that was considered a normal course of action. Not anymore.