The legal regime of Soviet Arctic marine areas

The legal regime of the waters north of the Soviet coastline between Norway and the Bering Strait has been consolidated and altered significantly since the Soviet government signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in late 1982. The principal changes introduced since 1982 to the legal regime are examined here. The first section examines legislation of the USSR state boundary at sea, including the state boundary, territorial waters, internal waters, innocent passage, innocent passage of warships, the Exclusive Economic Zone, marine scientific research in the economic zone, environmental protection, continental shelf, straits, and the deep seabed. The chapter concludes with sections on strategic policy and the Soviet Arctic, and the legal regime and future of the Arctic. -from Author