Russian revival: Deserted arctic town Pyramiden to host science hub

The northernmost Russian mining town, Pyramiden, located in the Norwegian Svalbard province, is presently deserted. However, under Moscow's sponsorship, plans for a scientific center are underway, with several nations across the globe indicating their intent to join.

In the unforgiving climate, Pyramiden, located in Svalbard, can only be accessed via sea during summer or by snowmobile in winter. This area, rich in coal, was an active mining site from 1911 to 1998, but has been uninhabited since the late 90s.

As cited by "The Barents Observer", the desolate town might soon witness a sea change as Russia invites its dwindling group of allies for scientific collaboration.

With Russia's announcement, Pyramiden is expected to be teeming with scientists from India, Turkey, China, Brazil, and Thailand, thus breathing life back into it.

During a conference on Arctic security held in Murmansk and organized by the Russian Geographical Society, Russia's Consul General Andrey Chemerilo mentioned in an online speech, "The priority is to establish a scientific and educational presence."

As outlined by Dmitry Negrutsa, the Deputy Director of Trust Arktikugol, a state-owned Russian company that oversees all Moscow-directed operations in Svalbard, the facility will cater as "the bedrock of multi-faceted scientific and educational cooperation between Russia and allied nations'.

The scientific center will extensively explore and study the Arctic region, its climate, biology, geology, geophysical space, weather, and ecology, along with conducting research on pollution and historical-cultural studies.

Akin to the proposed center, a Norwegian scientific base in Ny-Ålesund, as mentioned by "The Barents Observer”, already functions in the same Svalbard archipelago. It conducts similar studies on climate, nature, and marine environment. The facility educates 750 students from 43 countries, even hosting scientists from China and India.

According to the Norwegians, Russia's initiative disrupts the balance of power in a world already divided by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Until recently, Russia had been involved in Arctic-based cooperation with other nations. Now, Moscow is seeking partnerships with countries not condemning its military action against Ukraine, leading to anxiety amongst its neighbors about potential intelligence operations of the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, Russians alleged that Norwegians are clandestinely conducting research on biological weapons in their scientific facilities, in collusion with the United States. Natalia Belisova, head of the Department of Medicine and Human Biological Adaptation Problems in the Arctic, under the Russian Academy of Sciences, postulated that these hypothetically military biological laboratories are state-funded and equipped by General Electric and Johnson & Johnson.

Such theories are propagated by Kremlin-supporting media. China backed Russia when it aired grievances about these alleged military biological experiments in the UN. Nonetheless, the portal reminded its readers that, according to the Svalbard Treaty, Norway is prohibited from using the archipelago for any military purposes.