RUSSIA’S ARCTIC FOOTPRINTRussia dominates the Arctic due to geography and infrastructure. Russia’s Arctic region holds an estimated 35.7 trillion cubic meters (tcm) of natural gas resources, nearly 75% of Russia’s total proven reserves and more than the rest of the Arctic combined. NORTHERN SEA RE-ROUTINGBefore Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Arctic energy flows were deeply integrated with European markets. Ship-to-ship transfers, opaque ownership structures and the blending of Arctic-origin oil have weakened Western measures targeting the shadow fleet and Arctic LNG projects. Looking forward, concentrated control over Arctic sea lanes may splinter trade routes, making the High North a separate corridor with different rules, costs and political risks.