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Russia plants flag on North Pole seabed

guardian.co.uk — Russia today planted a flag on the North Pole's seabed in an attempt to declare sovereignty of the unclaimed land. The journey to the bottom of the sea began at an ice hole near the North Pole and the two Russian submarines dived to more than 4200 metres, according to the Itar-Tass news agency.

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  • dajuggernaut, on 10/10/2007, -1/+79"-what are you crazy bugger, you cant claim us, we live here. Five hundred million of us."
    "-yes, but do you have a flag?"
    --- Eddie Izard
  • Indyanna, on 10/10/2007, -2/+27FTA: "This is a kind of propaganda. It sounds very interesting and very impressive, but (the flag) has no legal sense. It doesn't mean anything," said Uri Fedorov, an associate fellow at the foreign affairs think tank, Chatham House.

    Betcha Putin isn't saying anything like that.
    • zigamorph, on 10/10/2007, -1/+16Well if all that you need to do to own a piece of unclaimed land is to plant a flag. I believe the US owns the moon then.
      • tehpwnerofn00bs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Thats a good point, especially against the Russians. brilliant
    • Himself, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1there's also no "international law" but people still believe otherwise
    • Tarnum, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The Russian Northern Fleet might disagree.
    • BESTenemy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Differences in law did not prevent Columbus from imposing his onto the land he conquered, regardless of the fact there were few million people already living on the continent. He had the firepower. The flag was purely symbolic. When it comes down to Russia's claim, like you said, flag does not mean a thing. But what would you expect them to plant there? One of their nukes?

      At this point, the weapons will do the talking. We've been waging oil wars since 1914 over every new deposit discovery. Why will this time be any different? All we have to do is put new batteries into the rusty but operational "Cold War Generator" and go back to nuclear arsenal buildup.

      But keep in mind that this time Russia will gain support of China and India - their immediate neighbors, as Russia being the supplier works best in their interest. If UN or Canada were conducting the trade, then the fuel would have to travel ridiculously long way, first to the refinery, some safe distance from Russia, then back to the importer. Russia has a system of railroads and a good refining capacity. China and India, being developing countries in need of energy will back Russia up, the same way Russia defends their neighbors.
    • DannyBoy7783, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1If Russia can plant a flag and claim the Arctic then that means we already own the moon. I for one thing we should start taxing every other country in the world for the use of the moon's tidal system. Maybe we can pay off Iraq, fix global warming, and fund our educational system.

      /sarcasm
  • RichStevenson, on 10/10/2007, -6/+63Done in the same studio when America put their flag on the moon.
    /sarcasm
    • p51d007, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I'm glad you inserted the sarcasm bit.....what's sad is there are people who believe we never went to the moon.
      I tell the ones that don't believe to say that in front of Jim Lovell (Apollo 13) and see if he doesn't smack you in the
      face.
  • caponumen, on 10/10/2007, -36/+10In Russia flag plants you......
    • aDJsavedmylife, on 10/10/2007, -3/+34How did you manage to ***** that up?
    • DiggMasterJ, on 10/10/2007, -10/+6In Soviet Russia land claims you!
    • an0nym0us, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Seriously, go kill yourself.
  • murphygr, on 10/10/2007, -22/+5putin should go take a picture next to the flag "ohhh ***** im dead"
  • RogerStrong, on 10/10/2007, -2/+15Russia is claiming territory based on a ridge running from Greenland to Russia, that could just as easily make it Danish/Canadian territory, except that the geologic survey hasn’t been done yet.

    That survey is being done this last summer and this summer by Canadian and Danish scientists. They plan to publish their results in a scientific paper in September.

    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2007/04/16/north-ridge.html
    • Jugalator, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Yes, they're rushing to get this done before a conclusion has been drawn, so they can gain some backing from their flag if not only in media, and hope to be favored from that. I know it's not media's thing to decide the outcome, but it wouldn't be the first time if they influenced it.
    • SpaceMonkeyZero, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4That hasn't stopped Russia before from just rolling in and claiming territory before... As the former Eastern Bloc countries.
    • christastic45, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0This is Canadas land... duhhhhhhhh
  • TalkingBanana, on 10/10/2007, -7/+5Those damn commie fishes
  • guardianzero, on 10/10/2007, -5/+33It's ok, we have the moon! HWAHAHAHAHAHA. this'll be good.
  • flamingmb, on 10/10/2007, -16/+6*****, if they went through all this trouble let them have the north pole.
  • ameba, on 10/10/2007, -2/+57You Canadians gonna take this?
    • Dustmuffins, on 10/10/2007, -7/+7Yes.
      • incubusnb, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Traitor, somebody should shoot you, Canadian Land is ours, if we slowly give it away whats the point?
        • SpaceMonkeyZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Obviously you REAL Canadians have to do something about the wussy Canadians that are amongst you giving your country the look of a pushover with their pacifism. I blame the Québécois!
          • toonworld, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2you would not survive a day in Quebec.
          • EllimistX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Yeah, you really should have let Quebec go when they tried to form their cheese-eating surrender monkey country...
        • maz2331, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Sounds like you need to call up the folks in Alberta to rise up and bring all the weenies in the other provinces into reality!
    • cdnbambam, on 10/10/2007, -0/+17The littering fine is in the mail
    • christastic45, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1This totaly belongs to Canada.... No question about it...
    • jimmiss, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It's Canadian Territory.
    • mcduckov, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I don't want to fight with Russians. Those people know how to freakin suffer. In fact, the more you shoot them the more they seem to like it. Canada, we of the USA leave this one to you.
  • twrife, on 10/10/2007, -21/+1*Insert generic, witty comment about how much Russia sucks here*
  • TehSwat, on 10/10/2007, -5/+18As a Canadian, I hope we get it, this could push our economy forward into a lot better times than we previously of had.
    • redrabbit, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7Right, because Canada's economy is so poor right now and people in Russia are living just fine.
      • vfrex, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Any problems with Russia's economy are structural. They don't need MORE natural resources to stop sucking.
      • jimmiss, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1What does that have to do with anything?
    • Wartyboskfapped, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5*have* had. Previously *have* had. Goddamn it.
      • SpaceMonkeyZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3There should be a earmark to Godwins law regarding Grammar Nazis.
    • toonworld, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I hate their Russian superiority attitude, but man do I love their women!
    • jimmiss, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2We've already "got" it. The russians are just trying to steal it.
  • mattgilberg, on 10/10/2007, -10/+3Well, if you go further south, you will see that Antartica isn't exactly "owned" by any one country. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Antarctica.jpg I got dibbs on Marie Byrd Land!!! Now if I could just think of a cool flag design......
    • Jugalator, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10And how is that related to this article? Antarctica has not disputed ownership and it's all clear to everyone that it can't be owned. Unlike in this case.
  • chubbybubba, on 10/10/2007, -4/+13Russia better watch out !......... come Christmas time.... Santa's gonna have some ass to kick.... Coal for you commies....
  • Shaboobalaboopy, on 10/10/2007, -8/+18It's going to melt away anyways......At least we're on teh MOON BITCHES!!!! USA USA USA
    • DiggMasterJ, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13They want the ice to melt so they have an easier time mineing the seabead.
    • lynx77, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4yeah well done - the moon has bollock all on it whereas the Antartic has billions of dollars worth of oil in it.

      USA USA USA retard.
      • incubusnb, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Antartic? you mean the south pole? cuz the North pole is the Arctic, but you knew that didn't you, retard
      • Wartyboskfapped, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11Actually, the Moon has Helium3 isotope, a powerful source of fuel that could lead to non-radioactive waste laden fusion, and of which there has been estimated to be enough on the Moon to power the Earth for ten thousands years or more.
        • SpaceMonkeyZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Woo hoo! Mine the Moon Bitches!!!!
    • ICSU, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Poor.
      I have a diamond planet.
    • ronh, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1We going to MARS! Red Rocks!!!

      Yeah, Ya!
  • LoJack, on 10/10/2007, -6/+19The Russians didn't do anything for eons until Canada's Conservative PM started talking about policing Artic sovernity. Nice going Mr. Stephen Harper.
    • MozzieTS, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7One thing I can respect of his is that he has gotten of his ass to actually lay claim to what is ours. When that ***** northern pass opens up we better not be paying Russian ***** traffis
    • funkmasheen, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8Oh right, so it must be Harper's fault then, just like if you wear a skirt it's your fault you get raped. Idiot.
    • filmbandit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3thank you for the heads up. this is all very interesting.
    • Ramble, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4But it ain't yours, and it ain't Russia's and it ain't Greenland's. The Arctic is international territory and should stay that way.
      • incubusnb, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1no, The Antarctic is International Territory, the Arctic belongs to Canada
  • syxle, on 10/10/2007, -9/+1PWNT.
  • treelovinhippie, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10Yarrr for the Mother Land!!!
  • sunshinelife, on 10/10/2007, -14/+9The Russians must be stopped. Russian culture is authoritarian and imperalistic, this will take generations to change. Until then their urge for expansion and superpower status must be supressed by the world community.
    • Jugalator, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3Not really. If you're introduced in the events surrounding this, this action doesn't come out of the blue, and that's why Russia didn't do anything before. See also LoJack's comment above for example. I agree it's quickly acted to try and get favored for the time when ownership will be more set in stone, but it is largely an action that has been provoked from the tensions surrounding the area ownership.
    • Julz, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4why doesn' t the world community suppress USA's urge for expansion into oil rich nations?
    • jsmith39, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I know, we can invade and occupy their capital cities, the people will line up in the streets to throw flowers at our liberating troops and within a couple of months the few remaining die hards will wither away.
  • sislak, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2They better back us. Probably won't though.
  • damnasteroids, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11sneaky *****' russians
  • Threlly, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8Putin looks like Dobby the house elf....narf
    Are they going to stick a flag on Uranus next....
  • TheMongo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+17"It's like putting a flag on the moon."

    Yes, because the US now has full sovereignty over the moon. Those sneaky Ruskies!
  • AdamTReineke, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Well, once we're done liberating our Iraqi oil fields, we'll liberate our Arctic oil fields.

    Oh, wait. Those don't belong to us. Think Bush will care?
  • kindrobot, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2How do you make a Russian take a pee?
    Cut a hole in the ice and place peas around it. When he comes to take a pee, kick him in the icehole.

    Edit: Can I undigg myself? Is there a button?
    • HyperJack, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Go to your profile, find the article and click "Undigg"
  • Bilbobaggins, on 10/10/2007, -12/+1In Soviet Russia land claim you, yes now it's time to get dugg down by pro-Russian anti-Americans..
    • HyperJack, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1Or get Dugg up by a Brit.
    • Wartyboskfapped, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Or dugg down by people who appreciate actual humor, & not 20 yr-old Yakov Smirnoff non-humor, you ***** dolt.
  • flink405, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9The U.S. planted a flag on the moon, so does America own the moon?

    • soupdawg30, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2Yes.
    • funkmasheen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6No. The 1979 Moon Treaty saw to that.
      • jsmith39, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3We don't have a great track record for giving too much credence to existing treaties
      • archer104, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I'm so sick of that damn treaty!
    • burntfire, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Although several flags of the Soviet Union (scattered by Luna 2 in 1959 and by later landing missions) and the United States have been symbolically planted on the Moon, no nation currently claims ownership of any part of the Moon's surface. Russia and the US are party to the Outer Space Treaty, which places the Moon under the same jurisdiction as international waters (res communis). This treaty also restricts the use of the Moon to peaceful purposes, explicitly banning military installations and weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear weapons).

      *from wikipedia
      • SpaceMonkeyZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Just in case anyone misconstrues that to mean the Soviets had MANNED landings to the moon: (I know some people who believe it no matter what proof you show them... They also think the US only landed once on the moon... But hey, at least they're not moon landing hoax believers)

        The first manned moon landing on Earth's Moon was the United States' Apollo 11 mission, commanded by Neil Armstrong accompanied by Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin. Armstrong landed the lunar module Eagle on the surface of the Moon at 4:17:42 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, July 20, 1969. They spent a day on the surface of the Moon and then returned to Earth. A total of six such manned moon landings were carried out between 1969 and 1972.

        The Soviet Union later achieved sample returns via the unmanned moon landings Luna 16, Luna 20 and Luna 24.
        *from wikipedia
    • kingvik, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0you can buy an acre of land on the moon for $20.
      http://www.spaceregistry.org/
  • addictist, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Wow, thats really weird.
  • DiggMasterJ, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Isn't there a rule that says you can't claim sovereignty unless you have at least one permanent resident? I think it is awesome though that they are breaking depth records. With all our money going to Bush's war, it is nice to hear that someone is still doing cool ***** like this.
    • EvolvedAnt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Because tieing a flag to a slab of cement and dropping it in a ice hole would have been hard...
  • Lumbeekid06, on 10/10/2007, -13/+2in soviet Russia flag claims you.

    sorry i couldn't resist
    • mtheoryx83, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3And you also couldn't get it right.
  • mannymix03, on 10/10/2007, -0/+54THE NORTH POLE BELONGS TO SANTA CLAUS.
    • M4tt3r, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5Even though you caps it, I will still respond, because that is a seriously funny issue. I really wonder how people who are died hard Christmas celebrators will take Russians, who are mainly atheists owning the land where "Santa Clause" supposedly lives. Won't that somehow "Destroy Christmas"? O'boy I can't wait, this is going to be comical.
      • gute123, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6from Wikipedia: Russian Orthodoxy is the dominant religion in Russia. The majority of Russian citizens, and as many as 80% of ethnic Russians, self-identify as Russian Orthodox. This makes the Russian Orthodox Church by far the most widespread religion, with as many as 70-75 million adult adherents.

        It doesn't sound like they are "mainly atheists" to me
        • matude, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2gute is right, russian people are actually very religious.
          And santa claus, well, there's a good point there - russian santa claus is called Grandfather Frost and even wears blue clothes sometimes. Travels with his granddaughter Snegurochka (Snow girl).

          But anyway, Santa lives in Rovaniemi, Finland, not on the north pole.
          • SpaceMonkeyZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1And from what I understand, Santa Claus comes from a bastardization of some accent saying Saint Nicholas!
    • ICSU, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1And since you can't disprove he exists, 80% of Americans must agree.
    • SpoonMachine, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Santa vs. The Russians?

      MRS. CLAUS, TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!
  • TwwIX, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3Russia can afford a flag?
  • TechCF, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3I think it's worse that both the USA and Russia won't acknowledge the claims the other countries have done to Antarctica (see Wikipedia).
  • Trynemjoel, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1Let's use the flag for target practice for one of those highly accurate missiles and see if Putin and his Cold War Generals can take a hintedy hint-hint.
  • cr1t, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3Russia FTW!
  • Bubbaboy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8Well that settles this debate. Now the race to the south pole! Theres nothing like some good ol' flag raising to create some global tensions.
  • bincoder, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1And the world whines about us wanting a small oil deposit in Alaska? Which we Really Do own???

    Putin, get a job, if we wanted to destroy aka 'develop' the north pole, we are far more able and experienced than you are at destroying an entire ecosystem to fuel our cars. Notice as 'evil' and 'imperialistic' as we are as amerikans, We are not into trying to trigger WW4 to destroy the enviroment, unlike Some Soviet Era relics, such as yourself...
  • icsbase, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Next step, in the future, is to move people to that area and set up a series of test drills. Then if (when) oil is found, they move some more equipment there and start drilling. No one can stop them at that point whilst Russia has a fleet of Submaries just around the corner at arctic sea.
    • filmbandit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7wow -- you comment as if test drills haven't already been done
  • etnu, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2If planting a flag is all it takes to claim uninhabited land, I think the U.S. has Russia beat.
  • seven999, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4This maybe is just a Russian reaction to the total control of the USA of Mid Eastern oil field. Those fields are a lot closer to Russia than tho the USA. Those last drops have more value than the first I guess. Russia needs also a lot of new oilfields to have some control in a world with lesser oil.
    Denmark with Greenland is actually a lot closer to the north pole and also really connected, and not with some below surface small mountain rig.
    See http://www.deepoceanexpeditions.com/images/north_pole_map.jpg
    • ronaldinho, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1This is going to be tricky. I think the best scenario is to split the land into five pieces to the five countries who has land in the Arctic Circle (Russia, US, Canada, Denmark, Norway), which should be done anyway as I think you cannot just say the Arctic is entirely yours when it's touching other land as well. Then comes this question: How are they going to split this? This is going to be an interesting development in years to come.

      As for Russia's flag-planting, I admire their ambition but I agree this was only a show. This does nothing to solidify their claim. The Americans didn't claim the moon to be theirs when they touched it in 1969 even though they put a flag to it.
  • DrLingCN, on 11/01/2007, -5/+0What a joke!
    Did the Russian think that they can take that place by this foolish way?
  • M4tt3r, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Hmm, I wonder how this could be spun to get people behind the US to bully Russia.... "War on Global Warming, We must protect the North Pole from commies they're the ones melting it".(or Santa as mentioned above.) ... Ahh, I got it... "It's a threat to our National Securtiy"...that always get them. mwahahaha!
  • andrew7667, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I'm surprised no one has pointed out the irony of "The ice cap is melting, making exploration and drilling for oil and gas easier."

    So, due to the heat caused by pollution, we're going to get more fuel to heat up the planet? Awesome!
  • slundal, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Haha just wait till Pirate Bay plants its flag an claims it in the name of............mwehf get off me..... *Swedish police storms my apartment and drags me away*
  • redpillpopper, on 11/01/2007, -4/+10I bet that flag says Made in China.
    • kingvik, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0i dont think that everything russian is made in china like here in america
  • darny, on 10/10/2007, -8/+3North Pole...Russia plant flag on you!
  • Galvani, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2I say good for Russia. If they have the national will to use their manpower to exploit such a vast untapped reserve they should go ahead with it.
  • sonycam, on 11/01/2007, -3/+15The Russians are being complete dicks lately.
    • ICSU, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Just the gvt. and it's supporters.

      Don't generalize. Similarly, not all Americans are dicks because their gvt. are.
  • Tedward, on 11/01/2007, -2/+1Hey if their country is actually willing to drill for and use the oil there let them have it. I know if the US took it we would never be able to drill for the oil because of all the tree huggers.
  • an0nym0us, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I, for one, welcome our new Russian overlords.
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