Securitizing the Economy: How Russia Reframes the Northern Sea Route as a Strategic Asset in the Arctic Policy

Abstract While military and environmental aspects of Arctic securitization are well-studied, economic securitization remains underexplored. This article examines how Russia has reframed the Northern Sea Route ( NSR ) as vital infrastructure critical to sovereignty, technological autonomy, and regime survival. Drawing on securitization theory and constructivism, the study analyzes strategic documents from 2008 to 2024, tracing how economic challenges – such as infrastructural delays and technological dependence – are discursively framed as existential threats, especially after the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The article demonstrates that securitization is operationalized through extraordinary measures, including selective protectionism, legal exceptions, and state-driven investments. These practices reflect a neomercantilist logic that prioritizes state control and geopolitical resilience over market efficiency. Additionally, the NSR is symbolically framed as a cornerstone of Russian Arctic identity and great-power status. This case illustrates how infrastructure governance in non-liberal contexts becomes a tool of strategic securitization under external pressure.