Russia's Northern Border: The Arctic Ocean

The northern coast of Russia borders the Arctic Ocean (and its marginal seas: Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi).

• Coastline: ~24,000 km (15,000 mi) — longest Arctic coastline of any nation.
• Key Ports: Murmansk (ice-free, Gulf Stream), Arkhangelsk, Dudinka, Tiksi, Pevek.
• Strategic Importance: Northern Sea Route (NSR), nuclear submarine bastions, vast hydrocarbon reserves, climate change frontline.

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest ocean (avg depth 1,038 m), largely ice-covered. Russia's Arctic zone holds ~80% of its gas and 90% of its nickel/cobalt/PGM reserves.