MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/. Russia views Arctic development as vital amid geopolitical tensions; the Pentagon launches a probe into the 2021 withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan; and the West seeks to assist the new Syrian authorities in ensuring stability. These stories have topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Vedomosti: Russia views Arctic development as vital amid geopolitical strains
The Russian Ministry for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic has endorsed the idea to declare 2026 the Year of the Arctic in the country, a ministry official confirmed to Vedomosti. The move will help "bolster Russia’s reputation as a strong Arctic power and achieve the goals of ensuring unity and integrity in Russia’s Arctic region."
The Arctic, which covers almost 30% of Russia’s territory, has a "considerable" amount of strategic natural resources. Major industrial and infrastructure projects are underway in the region, where 86% of flammable natural gas and 21% of oil are produced, the ministry pointed out. Given the current "tense geopolitical situation," it’s highly important to continue developing the Arctic region, particularly using state-of-the-art technologies, Deputy Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov stated. One of Russia’s key Arctic projects is the Northern Sea Route, which shortens the journey from Europe to Asia by 40% and makes it possible to implement large-scale investment plans, he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at "The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue" international forum on March 27 that Russia was the largest Arctic country, which stood for equal cooperation in the region. The Arctic was also mentioned with regard to Russia-US talks. Bloomberg reported on February 27, citing sources, that the two countries saw the Arctic as a potential area of economic cooperation.
After years of the coronavirus pandemic and the special military operation, Russia is, in fact, reviving its active Arctic policy, political scientist Grigory Dobromelov noted. The president has set a number of goals regarding the development of the Arctic zone but the objectives may be achieved only if there is enough personnel to work in the Arctic. "In order to bring professionals there, the Arctic needs to be promoted as a modern and popular place," the expert said.
For Russia, the Arctic is a geopolitically important region "where the world’s key transport and logistics route" - the Northern Sea Route - lies; and it has an "enormous" mineral resource base, Dobromelov added. "It is also an area where new technologies could be developed and tested. It’s like outer space: technologies may be brought here for durability tests. The Arctic is a testing range for cutting-edge and the most advanced solutions," the political scientist concluded.
Vedomosti: Pentagon launches probe into 2021 exit of US troops from Afghanistan
The Pentagon will carry out a probe into the US troops pullout from Afghanistan in August 2021, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a statement. "We need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that accountability for this event is met," the document reads. Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell has been assigned to oversee the process; he will convene a Special Review Panel, Vedomosti writes.
The final stage of US troop pullout from Afghanistan took place in August 2021, after weeks of the Taliban movement’s rapid advance against the government led by President Ashraf Ghani, who eventually fled Kabul. As a result, 13 US service members and 170 civilians lost their lives.
The move to bring US presence in Afghanistan to an end was one of the points of criticism that the Republicans directed against then-US President Joe Biden. In particular, they compared it with the US flight from Vietnam in the spring of 1975. Critics also pointed to the decision to shut down the Bagram Air Base, leaving behind a significant stockpile of military equipment and ammunition, which ended up in the hands of the Taliban.
Hegseth’s move largely has a political implication, Lev Sokolshchik, senior researcher with the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, said. The expert elaborated that the Trump team will promote the preliminary and final results of the probe in their campaign against the Democrats ahead of the congressional election set for November 2026.
Conducting such a review seems appropriate, provided it leads to management and organizational decisions, Vladimir Pavlov, deputy head of the Department of International Relations at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, pointed out. However, given the declared goal, it’s unlikely that the root causes of that crisis, including the swift fall of the Ghani government, will be revealed. "The question is also still open as to who should be held accountable and how. However, such probes can always be used in order to achieve narrow political goals," Pavlov concluded.
Kommersant: West aims to help Damascus ensure stability
The European Union on May 20 announced its decision to lift the economic sanctions that were imposed on Syria under President Bashar Assad. The statement came after US President Donald Trump promised to lift decades-long sanctions on Damascus. When explaining the need to remove the restrictions to the US Senate, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Syrian interim government was a step away from another coup and needed support, Kommersant notes.
This is not the first time that a forecast has been made for another coup in Syria, which underwent a government change on December 8, 2024. Earlier, the Israeli media reported, citing intelligence data, that the situation was highly unstable in Syria. "The Alawite coast remains loyal to Assad, Turkish and Kurdish forces dominate the north, and Bedouin tribes hold sway in the southeast. This southwestern corner is not a high priority for Damascus," a source told Ynet.
Meanwhile, the interim government headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa has already survived a coup attempt. Interior Minister Anas Khattab stated on April 16 that the authorities had been able to foil a rebellion led by former officers of the Assad regime.
Members of some of the Islamist groups that took part in an offensive against Damascus in November and December 2024 may also remain a threat to the current Syrian authorities.
Anton Mardasov, an expert with the Russian International Affairs Council, pointed out that multiple forces could be interested in a potential escalation of tensions in Syria - from Assad’s former supporters and members of Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian groups to foreign militants who have joined the new army and terrorists of the Islamic State group (designated as terrorist and outlawed in Russia). The expert noted that many in Syria’s new armed forces shared radical ideas and were unwilling to cut ties with the global jihadist movement. There are also Syrian National Army militants, who used to compete with the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group (designated as terrorist and outlawed in Russia) and did not complete a proper reorganization.
Izvestia: Moscow may propose unique partnership to African nations amid cutback of USAID programs
Russia will send 709.5 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Burkina Faso in May, a Foreign Ministry official told Izvestia. In addition, Moscow is completing the necessary procedures to provide Niger with up to 20,000 tons of wheat free of charge. Russia could revise its approach to humanitarian assistance to Africa amid a reduction of US programs, experts say.
In most cases, Russia provides humanitarian aid to the African countries that can be seen as Moscow’s friends (Zimbabwe) and even allies (Mali, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic), said Ivan Kopytsev, a junior researcher with the Center for North African and African Horn Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for African Studies. "These countries consistently support Russia’s position on the international stage, and cooperation with them covers a wide range of areas, including defense. However, in some cases (Somalia), humanitarian aid supplies should be viewed as Russia’s contribution to resolving global challenges such as the fight against hunger and dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters," the analyst explained.
Meanwhile, the global humanitarian situation is being worsened by Western sanctions. In addition, the US policy could affect the humanitarian situation in Africa as humanitarian projects are being shut down amid a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reform and severe funding cuts. "Long-term patterns of humanitarian cooperation are changing before our very eyes, and they will apparently create a certain ‘niche’," Kopytsev noted.
In the short term, the reduction of US humanitarian programs will have a negative impact on the poorest sectors of the population because the mechanisms of aid did have a certain positive effect. However, in the long term, African countries have a chance to end their dependence on humanitarian aid, Vsevolod Sviridov, deputy director of the Center for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics, pointed out. "This could be Russia’s unique advantage and offer for Africa - not to replace others and provide the same amount of aid, but rather change the approach to humanitarian aid supplies. This could be about providing tools, not goods, namely drones and digital technologies that can be used in agriculture, as well as fertilizers and seeds tailored to local conditions," the expert observed.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: What future holds for Russian ruble amid upward trend
Russia’s Central Bank set the dollar exchange rate for May 22 below the 80-ruble level for the first time in the past two months. The ruble is strengthening on positive geopolitical news, low demand for foreign currency and the Central Bank’s record-high key rate, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports.
The ruble started to get stronger in mid-February, following the first phone call between the presidents of Russia and the United States, a thawing of relations between the two countries and the start of a negotiation process on Ukraine. The dollar exchange rate has fallen by almost 25 rubles from its January peak.
Meanwhile, the stock market has already lost the positive momentum and oil prices have significantly declined. Still, the latter factor did not stop the ruble from strengthening. Central Bank officials attribute the strong ruble to the improving geopolitical situation and the regulator’s tough monetary policy (the Bank of Russia has maintained the key rate at the 21% level since late October 2024).
In addition, according to the Central Bank’s estimates, purchases of foreign currency by bank clients on the stock exchange and over the counter market dropped to the lowest level in April since July 2024. "A decline in demand amid stable foreign currency supply supports the ruble," said Natalya Vashchelyuk, senior analyst at the Pervaya asset management company.
Besides, the approaching fiscal period may further support the upward trend for the ruble this week as a growing number of exporting companies are starting to sell foreign currency to pay their taxes, thus increasing supply, Dmitry Babin, a stock market expert at BCS World of Investment, noted.
However, such a situation won’t last forever. The majority of analysts expect the Russian currency to weaken in the second half of the year. This will be due to rising imports, a decline in export revenues because of low oil prices and the Central Bank’s move to loosen its monetary policy. That said, a number of analysts predict that the dollar exchange rate will surpass the 90-ruble mark in the second half of 2025.
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