Russia Poised to Make Mammoth Arctic Sea Grab

As melting ice continues to make more of the Arctic Sea accessible every year, Russia is planning to annex an area of the sea the size of Texas and Arizona combined. The Kremlin is expected to stake its claim to the waters at the United Nations, arguing that the Siberian continental shelf is connected to undersea Arctic ridges, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

The 380,000-square-mile area at stake holds up to a quarter of the world's untapped hydrocarbon reserves and a newly navigable route from Asia to Europe that could cut shipping times by about a third. Russia's claim, however, is certain to be disputed by other nations with claims to the Arctic, including the US and Canada, which plans Arctic military exercises this month aimed at sending a message to Moscow. (More Arctic Sea stories.)