Annotation. The Arctic is one of the most inaccessible regions in the world, which for a long time was not considered from an economic and military point of view due to human technical unpreparedness for extreme conditions. However, scientific and technological progress, combined with climate change, has changed the situation. More and more countries are heading to the North Pole. States close to the Arctic began to compete with each other for a leading role in the development of the economic resources of the region. Increased economic activity has exacerbated territorial claims even among states whose borders are outside the Arctic Circle. Without international legal regulation, the Arctic region could become an arena for a conflict on a global scale.
The start of the Special Military Operation in February 2022 and subsequent sanctions from Western countries, as well as sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, led to the renewal of the Arctic strategies of the circumpolar states with an emphasis on the military aspect. Today, the region hosts military bases of the United States of America and the Russian Federation, and each state is determined to increase its military presence depending on the military activity of the other side, which, in turn, determines the relevance of the problem under consideration.
The article is based on research by domestic and foreign authors on the Arctic strategy of circumpolar and non-Arctic countries and their possible confrontation. The goal is to determine the range of possible threats and military conflicts in the Arctic.
Key words: Arctic, threats, militarization, Arctic strategies, demilitarization.